Child in hospital: when a parent can stay, and when to leave - Minsk rules

On social networks, heated discussions continue: users are outraged by the rule that children over five years old are hospitalized without parents. To find out how tough the requirements of the law are in fact and in what situations relatives will still be allowed to be next to the child in the ward, Minsk-Novosti examined the issue with the press secretary of the Health Committee of the Minsk City Executive Committee Yulia Borodun.

Where to send children for medical care in Minsk

Round-the-clock care for small Minsk residents is provided by specialized hospitals: 2nd, 3rd, 4th hospitals and the City Children's Infectious Clinical Hospital. If the child was injured, he will be taken to the 6th clinical hospital, and in case of severe burns - to the Republican Burn Center on the basis of the BSMF.

In especially difficult conditions, republican scientific and practical centers are involved: “Mother and Child”, RSPC of pediatric surgery, RSPC of neurology and neurosurgery, RSPC of traumatology and orthopedics. Adolescents older than 14 years, if necessary, urgent surgical intervention can be placed in specialized departments of adult hospitals - for example, in the third or tenth.

Under what conditions can a parent be in a room with a child

According to the press secretary of the Health Committee of the Minsk City Executive Committee Yulia Borodun, as a general rule, children over five years of age are in the hospital without an escort of adults. But the law allows exceptions – if there are medical conditions. Specific conditions depend on the age of the child:

Children under three. The parent has the right to be in the hospital with the child. He will be provided with a separate bed and food.

Children between three and five. For a parent, a bed is allocated so that he can take care of the child. At the same time, food is provided free of charge only to the child - the adult pays for it independently.

Children over five. Joint stay is allowed only by the decision of medical workers. If the child requires constant care, the adult will be given a bed in the room, but no food is provided at the expense of the institution.

Children with disabilities up to 18 years. If the condition of the child requires the help of loved ones, one of the parents will be placed in the ward with him. A bed will be provided, but the adult will have to organize food independently.

It is also possible when, in the absence of strict testimony, the head of the department allows the parent to stay - if conditions and the area of the ward allow. But in such a situation, a separate bed and food are not guaranteed by the rules.

The role of the parent in the hospital: support, not control

Doctors emphasize that the right to be near the child is not given in order to monitor the work of staff or to shoot for social networks. The task of parents is to provide the child with emotional support: calm, relieve fear of procedures, surround them with care.

Often, because of the excitement, parents begin to closely monitor every action of health workers, engage in arguments or record what is happening on video. Experts remind that each side has its own area of responsibility: doctors and nurses are engaged in treatment, and parents support the child.

Julia Borodun draws attention to: in case of any doubts or questions, it is better to immediately contact the head of the department, rather than publish emotional posts on the Internet. Before sharing experiences in social networks, it is worth discussing the situation with those specialists who are nearby and can promptly help.

How to apply for a sick leave when you are with a child in the hospital

Issuance of a certificate of disability is strictly regulated: the document is issued only in the presence of medical indications. The hospital is issued by the attending physician - and only on those days when the presence of an adult is really necessary for the care of the child.

If the parent remains in the ward at his own request, the sick leave is not allowed. In this case, you can:

• take days at your own expense;

• part of the work leave;

send a non-working relative (for example, grandmother) with the child, having previously issued the written consent of the parents.

If during treatment the child's condition worsens and he needs continuous care, the doctor has the right at any time to open a sick leave for the parent.

Domestic features of stay in children's hospitals

Yulia Borodun recalled the real conditions in the capital's hospitals. The rooms were originally designed to accommodate only children, so when you stay with your parents, the space becomes noticeably tighter.

Doctors ask parents not to count on the hotel level of comfort and understand the temporary inconvenience. Such conditions are a necessary and temporary measure, the purpose of which is to help the child to undergo treatment faster and calmer and recover.

Photo: Pixabay / is illustrative