Penza, 29 December 2015. PenzaNews. The Penza clinical hospitals No. 4, 5 and 6 will lose their city hospitals status as of 2016, announced the regional Minister of Health Vladimir Stryuchkov during his press conference on Tuesday, December 29.

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“These hospitals will be providing the final stage of medical care – the third stage, which is specialized medical aid. They will admit all Penza region residents equally – both the city residents and the people living in all the region. At the same time, the former regional hospitals will be equally open for the city residents,” he explained.

This change, according to Vladimir Stryuchkov, will facilitate the transition from the registration-based medical care system to the level-oriented medical aid.

“That is why the year of 2015 is practically the final year for the restructuring of the whole system of levels and stages of medical care. Now, the former city hospital No. 3 will be called the city outpatient clinic. It currently has practically all outpatient clinics within itself. They remain a legal entity. The same is with the city ER station – it now becomes the regional ER station, as with time it will include all Penza region ER substations. But their territorial location will remain the same,” the minister noted.

According to him, these changes will streamline the staff and resource distribution to use them regardless of where the people are assigned.

“Let’s say we have some ER cars on a substation in Kamenka: if needed, they could be used in the Bashmakovo area, or in the Belinsky area, if the situation is urgent. The ER crew will be sent to wherever they are the closest,” Vladimir Stryuchkov explained.