Opinions & Interviews

Lukashenko praises Belarus’ handling of COVID-19 pandemic

An archive photo

MINSK, 25 February (BelTA) – Belarus has done its best in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko said as he met with the staff of the Minsk Center of Surgery, Transplantology and Hematology on 25 February, BelTA has learned.

“It was a very powerful special operation in the field of healthcare. We have handled it with dignity. I swear to you. You see, now everyone is embracing our COVID-19 response strategy,” the Belarusian leader stressed.

Aleksandr Lukashenko noted that no healthcare system on its own can successfully fight with the pandemic and numerous coronavirus variants. “This is why the unity of the government, society, and healthcare is so valuable. The whole country was mobilized. When I found out (even before the delta variant emerged) that we needed medicines and so on, the governors and the central government got involved. It was the mobilization of the whole country,” the president said.

The head of state also expressed words of appreciation to frontline doctors, for many of whom infectious diseases were not their area of expertise. “I have always praised you not for treating people, especially coronavirus patients, but rather for quickly embracing and incorporating new treatment protocols as you faced this novel infection. We do not have a huge number of virologists. The ones that we have traveled from hospital to hospital and consulted doctors,” he said.

Answering one of the questions, Aleksandr Lukashenko commented on further plans to upgrade healthcare facilities. The upgrade effort will continue, but the head of state demanded a smart, prudent and frugal approach. “I keep telling the minister: if you start building a new facility, make sure that it will not end up having unnecessary features,” the head of state said.

He emphasized that the focus should not be on the building per se, but rather on personnel and equipment. “This is the main thing and we stick to this philosophy. And, of course, we need to maintain the current level of wages. Indeed, the COVID-19 bonuses [bonuses for frontline healthcare workers] have considerably pushed the average salary in healthcare. Our task now is to keep it up,” the president said.

“People should be incentivized by good salaries. There should be no wage-leveling. No way,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.

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