Lukashenko on housing for medical staff: decisions must be fair
Decisions on granting medical staff the right to own rental housing must be well-thought-out, clear, concise, and obligatory fair to people – as stated today by the President of Belarus, Aleksandr Lukashenko, during a meeting with the Council of Ministers leadership
The Head of State said that the Government had prepared a draft decree, according to which doctors are given the right to purchase rental housing. At the same time, Aleksandr Lukashenko asked the participants of the meeting, “We have this type of housing (rental), creating it for special occasions, in order to solve certain problems. Today it’s proposed to make part of this rental housing ordinary housing. Why was this rental housing created?.. If we established rental housing, why sell it? I’m just asking a question, let’s discuss.”
The President praised medical workers, noting that they deserve attention, but recalled, “I have already paid some attention towards them, if I may say so. Then they didn’t talk about housing, but they talked about wages. I gave you almost all the money that was allocated for COVID-19 treatment. You somehow sorted it out there. Today, doctors don’t talk about salaries anymore. Not because they are big, but because it’s already uncomfortable to talk about salaries compared to others. Now the question is about housing.”
The President noted that after a number of shortcomings and problems were identified in the healthcare sector, the housing issue also arose, “That’s why I say it’s not exactly the proper time now. I think we need to return to this issue. Meanwhile, we shouldn’t forget that alongside medical workers, we also have pedagogical, social and other workers. And they will raise the same question; it will be a fair statement of the question, e.g., on the part of teachers. Can we satisfy these people in general? Therefore, it must be considered as a whole.”
In this regard, the Belarusian leader once again reminded the entire healthcare system of the need to solve all the identified problems and ‘bring the sector back to reality’. Aleksandr Lukashenko concluded that all the conditions determined by the draft decree will be considered when the Healthcare Minister and the Government report on the elimination of shortcomings, “Once again I want to underline that all proposals and decisions that will be made must be well-thought-out, clear, concise and obligatory fair for people.”
