How to choose a sanatorium?

90% of the success of treatment depends on the correctly chosen sanatorium. Therefore, take this matter seriously. And it is not necessary to be based only on living conditions, although this is also important. First of all, pay attention to the profile of the institution and the direction of treatment.

Ideally, the main profile should be your disease, but it is not always possible to find a sanatorium that deals only with a narrow specialization, it is especially difficult when you have a rare disease.

Pay attention to the location of the institution. In some cases this is important. For example, if you suffer from a chronic urological disease, then the best place for treatment is Mineralnye Vody resorts. Because it is there that there are mineral springs that help well with this ailment.

The second thing you need to pay attention to is the availability of the specialists you need (I will write about this in more detail below) and the equipment with the necessary medical equipment. A very important point, because the absence of this will lead to ordinary recovery, and not serious treatment.

And only in third place would I put comfort, accommodation, food, etc.

Look for the official website of the sanatorium, read all the information in detail, do not neglect calls there if you have questions. Try to buy tours directly on the site or book by their phone.

Be sure to read the latest reviews, preferably on other resources. Thus, you can find out the features of sanatorium treatment in a specific region you have chosen.

Required documents

Upon arrival at the sanatorium, you must present documents

• The passport
• A ticket or reservation (sometimes a paid receipt)
• Medical insurance policy
• Sanatorium resort card
• It is advisable to have an extract from the medical card, in some places they require a certificate to the pool.

This list is basic for all sanatoriums. Be sure to check the list of required documents before the trip (sometimes additional documents are required, and for people on preferential vouchers - the list is slightly different, as for families with children).

Major Newbie Misconceptions

So that you understand everything and do not take rash steps, I will dispel the myths about spa treatment and reveal the whole truth that is better to know before making a decision on such a trip.

The disease has become aggravated - I will go to a sanatorium

Imagine such a situation. Exacerbated chronic disease. You run to the doctors, take medication course after course, but it doesn’t get better and the acute condition is not removed. Tired of knocking on the thresholds of different offices, take the last money and buy a ticket to a sanatorium, in the hope of rest, daily medical supervision, consultation and competent treatment.

Unfortunately, such a scenario always ends in disappointment. The thing is that the sanatorium does not treat diseases in an acute form, they undergo rehabilitation here when remission occurs.

Simply put, one of the contraindications to treatment in such institutions is diseases at an acute stage of development.

You have to come here in remission. Then you will complete the full course of treatment. And during the exacerbation of the procedure are contraindicated, you can only relax and receive minimal medical treatment.

I will buy a full ticket, everything is included in it.

When going to a sanatorium, people usually go to the official website, select the category of rooms, look at the profile of the institution, read some reviews and find out minor features. Rarely does anyone look at the page where the procedures that are included in the cost of the tour are described. But even looking there and seeing an impressive list, few people read it carefully.

However, if you look closely at a long list, you can see that 10% of them are done only for men or only for women, another 20% are generally accepted by type - climate therapy, health path, drinking cure, herbal medicine, etc.

Or, for example, everyone sees a massage, but no one pays attention to the fact that 1.5 units are written next to it, this only means a massage of one and a half zones (for example, the neck), and all other zones are no longer included in the cost of spa treatment.

I give these examples so that you understand that despite the fact that the list is quite large, especially valuable procedures are not included there, and the doctor usually prescribes not the entire list, but one of the directions (mud therapy, physiotherapy , hydrotherapy, etc.), and you are not always allowed to choose, usually at the discretion of the doctor.

All this is neither good or bad, you just need to know that it is really possible to improve your health in a sanatorium, but you must immediately focus not only on the cost of a sanatorium and resort voucher, but also have funds in the amount of at least 30% of the cost of the voucher for additional paid procedures (solid conclusion from rich personal experience).

If you accept this fact in advance, then there will be no disappointments about the cost of treatment and the number of procedures either.

I will come and go through all the specialists

Another misconception that can ruin all plans. The fact is that there are almost no such sanatoriums in which all narrow specialists work on a permanent basis. As a rule, there are therapists and 2-4 highly specialized doctors. All the rest go to work under the contract.

Well, if they work twice a week for 4 hours, then there is a chance to get to them in a week, there is also a record and a queue. And if they come less often, then it will be possible to consult only before departure.

To understand how the situation is in the place you have chosen, you need to look for such headings on the institution's website as "Our employees" or "The team of the sanatorium". Usually there are photos of the staff, their specializations and hours of work are published. From which you can roughly understand how staffed the institution is.

If there is no such data on the official website of the sanatorium, then read the latest reviews or call the sanatorium and talk to one of the doctors.

Do not forget that the cost of the tour includes a maximum of three specialists (including a therapist), you will have to pay for the consultation of the rest.

Ultrasound in a sanatorium

I will make a sanatorium-resort card on the spot
Of course, no one is reluctant to stand in line for a local therapist, take referrals, take tests, do fluorography and go through narrow specialists. The practice of free medical institutions now is such that it takes more than one day to get a sanatorium and resort card.

Buying one is also not an option, because the topic of our article implies that you need treatment not for show. Therefore, it is not in your interests to go to a sanatorium with drawn analyzes and fictitious conclusions of doctors.

Based on the foregoing, many people make a mistake when they expect to issue a health resort card upon arrival. The point is not that not all sanatoriums have such a service, but that in this case, you will spend at least two days on all manipulations. After all, there, too, you will have to collect an anamnesis and take tests.

Accordingly, you will lose the paid days, because at this time the doctor will not prescribe you any treatment. Plus, you will have to pay for a health resort card, because such a service is not included in the price of the tour. Perhaps money doesn’t matter to someone, but the lost 2-5 days (sometimes you won’t get to a narrow specialist quickly) should make you think.

Two weeks is enough

I often hear such words: "I was refused to do 10 sessions of procedures and was appointed only 6, although I came for 14 days." Then comes resentment and complaints about a bad attitude. Who is guilty? Definitely not a resort. Surprised? I'll explain now.

The fact is that in all sanatoriums, the number of prescribed procedures directly depends on the number of days you have purchased a voucher.

10 pieces of each procedure are offered only if the voucher is from 18-20 days. If you came for two weeks, then most likely, such a course includes 6-7 procedures, for 16-17 days - 7-8 procedures. And it's not the harmful character of the doctor, it's just such an official regulation, and it's physically impossible to do more. Below, you will see it.

Six procedures for a full-fledged spa treatment is not enough - a fact. If your goal is treatment, and not recovery, then you need to come to the sanatorium for at least 21 days, and preferably out of season, fewer people, not twitchy staff, no queues. I wrote about this in detail here.

There is another point that confirms these features.

It should be borne in mind that many procedures cannot be combined, so they are prescribed every other day. That is, today you go to the mud, and tomorrow to the physio, then mud again, etc. Accordingly, if you need to do ten of each, then it will take 20 days, add another day of arrival and departure. How much will it take?

Well, when to carve out a couple more days for a sanatorium-resort card, I wrote about it above. Do not forget that Sunday falls, most often the medical building is closed. So consider for yourself, I discovered the real state of affairs.

Usually, all this is written on the official website, only not everyone goes there, or not all of the information is read, hence resentment and disappointment.

Finally, I'll get some sleep

It's not a delusion at all if your goal is only rest and recovery. However, for those who go to be treated, everything is a little different.

As a rule, many procedures are prescribed, they go one by one, starting at seven in the morning, the schedule is so tight that even breakfast and lunch are limited time. The running around the offices ends at about three o'clock in the afternoon, and then, if on this day there is no evening appointment of a narrow specialist or ultrasound examination.

It becomes a little easier with time after ten days, when the procedures have already been done, which are daily and remain those that are done every other day.

Therefore, get ready for the fact that the first half of your stay in the sanatorium will be very busy and it is unlikely that you will be able to sleep longer in the morning.

But in the second half of the rest, you will have a great opportunity not only to sleep more, but also to devote time to walks and sightseeing, unless of course you arrive for 21 days.

How does everything really happen?

We talked about delusions and features, if I remember something else, I will definitely add it to the article. Now I will try to briefly describe how everything actually happens. In any case, this was the case in the places that I visited (six different sanatoriums). Of course, there are differences everywhere, but they are insignificant.

You arrive at the sanatorium, register at the reception, they give out the keys to the room and a card for meals. Sometimes they immediately say in which office and what time the doctor will take you. If not, it will be announced later.

Come to the doctor, give medical documents, they examine you and make appointments. It is advisable at this moment to resolve the issue with paid procedures, to inform about your preferences. The doctor will immediately add them to the list of appointments and there will be no need to come again.

Then you go to the head nurse or other employee (sometimes at the reception), give papers with appointments and after some time you will be given a book (slider) where your spa treatment is scheduled by day and hour for the entire period.

As a rule, this is not the final version. Procedures can be canceled, replaced or added after tests, new appointments from narrow specialists or at your request if a certain type of procedure is not suitable (for example, you do not tolerate it well).

However, the attending physician makes the changes, so it is imperative to go to him for this.

Then every morning starts the same way, open the slider and go ahead - everything is according to plan.

Meals take place depending on the schedule (at the allotted hours).

Meals at the resort

Keep in mind that food in a sanatorium is also part of a spa treatment. The food is strictly balanced according to diets. Nothing fried or smoked. But this is only for the benefit of your body, you can endure three weeks.

In the evening, there are usually entertainment programs in the spirit of the USSR. Singing to the accordion, discos - for those over 50, performances by local amateur groups, watching movies, etc. Please note that entrance to some events may be paid, add these costs to the holiday budget.

Sanatorium treatment in Almaty

For room reservations, call the phone number:

+7 727 300 34 00

For medical inquiries, please call:

+7 727 300 35 00