Boardman Rotary hosts visiting Russian doctors

Neighbors | Shaiyla Hakeem .Boardman Rotarian Howard Mettee (center) helped orchestrate the two-week visit for 12 Russian doctors. The doctors returned to their native country Sunday.
By SHAIYLA HAKEEM
The American healthcare system isn’t just a hot issue for Americans. Foreigners are also interested in how it operates.
The Boardman Rotary hosted a visit from 12 Russian doctors for a two-week exploration into the American health care system. The doctors specialities ranged from dentistry to obstetrics and gynecology.
This isn’t the first time the Rotary has hosted doctors from abroad. In 1994, orthopedic surgeons and wound specialists from St. Petersburg traveled to the U.S.
All the medical doctors manage clinics in their native country and donate some of their services to medical charities. Since the American health care system is different from Russia’s, they were interested in learning how the U.S. finances indigent care. Rotarian Howard Mettee, Russia project coordinator, is fluent in Russian and acted as the doctors’ host during the visit. He thinks the visit was beneficial to them and their future medical practices.
“They are here to learn about some of the advances in medical research in their specialities,” Mettee said. “They also want to know about treatment and research funding.”
The doctors traveled to several hospitals and clinics throughout Ohio to observe and speak to researchers, surgeons, physicians and neurologists. Some of the places the group visited were Pittsburgh’s Allegheny General Hospital, St. Elizabeth Health Center, Cleveland Clinic, Tripoint Medical Center and the Northeastern Ohio Universities Colleges of Medicine and Pharmacy.
This trip to America was the first for prthopedic surgeon Ilya Lozovik. He said the medical systems in Russia are very different from the U.S. He is familiar with his native medical techniques, but wanted to explore the practices of another country.
“I wanted to learn how the medical facilities worked in America,” Lozovik said. “The doctors here are more free to practice medicine rather than writing reports for the government.”
He would like to take bone implants, advanced equipment and the quality of medical services back to Russia.
The doctors arrived to Boardman July 3 and left to return to Russia Sunday.
Lozovik said his experience here was priceless and he would like to visit again.
“I wish, one day in our country, people would be so willing to help,” he said.