Chernobyl disaster 35 years later: medical aspects

Abstract

In the Republic of Belarus, as a result of the disaster at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, there were 3678 settlements in the zone of radioactive contamination, including 27 cities where 2,2 million people lived. In 1991, the law «On social protection of citizens affected by the Chernobyl disaster» was adopted, which defined the categories of citizens belonging to various groups of the affected population. The database of the Belarusian State Register of persons exposed to radiation as a result of the disaster at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, created by the Resolution of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus dated May 5, 1993 No. 283, contains information on 1 067 821 citizens of the Republic of Belarus affected by the disaster at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, other radiation accidents, including about 735 927, which are currently under dispensary supervision in health care organizations. Stable medical and demographic indicators of the health status of the affected population have been achieved.The development of scientific work in the field of radiation medicine continues within the framework of the sixth State program to overcome the consequences of the disaster at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant for 2021-2025.