The project “Model health care program to fight osteoporosis in area of Polish-Belarusian borderland” (acronym MHCPFO) is being implemented under the Thematic Objective SECURITY. The Lead Beneficiary is Dr Ludwik Rydygier Voivodeship Hospital in Suwałki (PL), and the project partner is Hrodna City Clinical Hospital of Emergency Care (BY).

The specialists from the border area of Poland and Belarus estimated that approximately 30% of the population aged 50+ has problems with osteoporosis. There are also more problems to be faced, such as insufficient medical infrastructure, lack of specialists in osteoporosis, lack of dedicated solutions in diagnosis and treatment etc. These issues are a challenge for the MHCPFO project.

You can read more about the project here.

The project implementation began on 1^st June 2019. Initially, within its scope, the Cross-Border Council to Fight Osteoporosis was established with main goal to develop common standards of diagnostic procedures. The Council has already met twice, discussed the risk of osteoporosis of residents living in a border area and made the assumptions for the questionnaire, which will allow for a more accurate diagnosis. As The guide “Osteoporosis is not a sentence” has also been developed under the guidance of the Council. The document is a collection of information and good practices in the field of osteoporosis for the inhabitants of the partner regions. On 30^th April, and then 15^th July 2020, on-line seminars on a subject of diagnosis and treatment of osteoporosis took place. They were directed at medical personnel and they aimed at improving the level of knowledge and exchange experiences. Basing on selected cases, the participants discussed available methods of diagnosis and treatment of osteoporosis.
Along with soft measures, an infrastructure component was implemented. The Suwałki Hospital modernized the Rheumatology with the Geriatric Sub-Department Ward dedicated to diagnostics and treatment. As a part of the activity, 14 rooms with 31 new beds for rheumatology and geriatric patients with a total area of 225,40 m² were upgraded. The works included among others: demolition works, adjustment of internal partition walls, replacement of windows and doors, laying of soundproof insulation and easy-to-clean floors. New, specialized medical equipment and furniture for the Rheumatology Ward and the Orthopedic-Trauma Ward were purchased, i.e. stretchers, US device, C-arm machine, laparoscopy device. Also, the Belarusian partner purchased specialized medical equipment for the Orthopedics and Trauma Wards. The equipment will be used by both hospitals, in the aforementioned wards, and hospital diagnostic and treatment units where diagnostic and operational procedures are carried out.

According to the grant contract, the project should be completed by 31^st May 2021.

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Project of the week - MHCPFO