Press releases

24 Oct 2015

EU, UN to allocate €4.1m for Belarus’ healthcare project

GRODNO, 24 October (BelTA) – The European Union and the UN agencies will allocate €4.1 million on the implementation of a large-scale healthcare project Belmed in Belarus, head of the EU delegation in Belarus Andrea Wiktorin told a press conference in Grodno on 24 October, BelTA informs.

The full name of the project is Preventing Non-Communicable Diseases, Promoting Healthy Lifestyle and Support to Modernization of the Health System in Belarus. The implementation of the project will kick off in 2015. At estimated €3.8 million will be allocated by the European Union, another €300,000 by the UNDP, UNFPA, WHO and UNICEF.

“Belmed is an important project for the EU. The launch of the initiative will mark a new page in the history of EU-Belarus cooperation. Its successful implementation will open new opportunities for the EU’s further financing of socially-oriented projects in Belarus,” said Andrea Wiktorin. She underlined the innovative side of the project which has been initiated by the Healthcare Ministry and called it the best project in the Sustainable Development Goals program. “It will make a considerable contribution to the improvement of the population health in Belarus, enhancement of the quality of medical services and people’s lives,” said the head of the EU delegation.

In her words, it is important that the project promotes closer cooperation between the EU and the UN in Belarus as well as between these organizations and the local community. Belmed unites the best knowledge and practices of the leading specialists in the implementation of the objectives. Among the main goals of the project is to enhance the quality of medical assistance, improve the system of combating pediatric diseases. On the whole, the project is aimed at reforming the national health sector through expert consultations.

According to First Deputy Healthcare Minister of Belarus Dmitry Pinevich, €200,000 will be allocated to the events promoting healthy lifestyles, €1 million to promote healthy lifestyle at the local level and develop so-called healthy cities, €1 million to combat breast cancer, and about €1 million to reduce and prevent child injuries. The All-Belarus Child and Teenager Health Strategy will be developed under the project to reduce the mortality rate among children due to external factors and exclude risk behavior related to alcohol and drugs. Funds will be also used to protect maternity and childhood, prevent non-communicable diseases and risk factors, and implement other goals, including the modernization of the healthcare system with the focus on the primary health care.