The lecture theatre, the largest in the University, was formally opened by Natalia Zubareva, the Deputy Governor of the Region, to coincide with the University's anniversary
Deputy Governor Zubareva is also the Head of the Regional Department of Health and Social Protection. She was shown around the new facilities by Professor Oleg Polukhin, Rector of BNRU, and Professor Vladimir Kulikovsky, Director of the Medical Institute. She continued her visit with a tour of the Medical Institute, visiting the Centre for Supplementary Medical and Pharmaceutical Education, Accreditation and Certification, where more than 120 vocational professional programs are being implemented for health care employers and Regional Department of Health and Social Protection professionals. This includes the training of specialists for the Centres for Health Management and GP's Surgeries, that come within the purview of the Region's 'Regional Health Management' program. The facility is due to start the active accreditation of the Region's medical workers very shortly. The group then toured the Simulation Centre and the Faculty of Preventive Medicine, home to 73 future epidemiologists and public health doctors.
Returning to the new lecture theatre, which has a capacity of 360, the Deputy Governor, the Rector, and the Dean of the Medical Institute spoke to the students. Professor Polukhin recalled that it was the establishment of this Institute that marked the transition of a collection of colleges into a formal classical University structure in 2013. At present, there are more than 2,000 students, 616 residents and 40 postgraduates at the Institute. This is an increase in capacity of 800 in the last 5 years. He revealed that the University had set aside ₽500 million over this period, in order to provide students with state-of-the-art medical equipment in modern classrooms and laboratories. The Rector promised even more ahead. He spoke about attracting more overseas students and constructing the halls of residence to house them, and he talked about continuing to raise standards of education.
Deputy Governor Zubareva thanked the staff of the University for their significant contribution to the development of healthcare in the Region, and iterated her enthusiasm for getting trained specialists into the industry. She informed the students about the programs and social support for young doctors in the Region and the Federation, and wished them success in their studies.
