Report of Deputy Prime Minister of Belarus Natalya Kochanova

It is necessary to improve the situation with human resources in the social sphere. Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko made the statement as he heard out a report from Deputy Prime Minister Natalya Kochanova on 11 October.

The President stated: “It is all about people. The current state of affairs in the social sphere, which you are supposed to oversee as a member of the government, leaves much to be desired. I am even concerned about the system used to evaluate personnel in all areas.”

The head of state underlined that it is time to get things moving for the sake of addressing these issues. “You have seen the people. You know what these people are capable or incapable of doing. Punishing someone is not the idea. Every one of them has a family, a destiny and so on. But if a person is not up to the task, he or she has to go. If any personnel shifts or changes are necessary, you need to be able to see it,” said Aleksandr Lukashenko.

The President described problems by using specific spheres as an example. These were sport, culture, education, and healthcare.

“We all saw how our athletes performed during the Olympic Games in Rio. I see that our sport functionaries keep talking happily about it. They are satisfied, they believe that things went well. Well, they may be satisfied but you and I are not and neither is the nation. We didn’t expect such characterless and abnormal performance,” noted the head of state. “A huge amount of money has been invested in sport. There were no complaints. But the investments produced no results to satisfy the nation’s requirements since the nation’s money was used to finance the trip to Rio,” stressed Aleksandr Lukashenko.

According to the President, there are also problems in the area of responsibility of the Belarusian Culture Ministry, in particular, the movie industry. “I came across a talk show about the movie industry by accident. It was painful to hear the discussion. It turns out that movies are not made in Belarus because, some say, the Belarusfilm studio is being repaired. Were the conditions better in the time of [the movie director Mikhail] Ptashuk when he was filming In August 1944? They were not. But he made a good movie all the same,” noted Aleksandr Lukashenko.

“Let’s talk about the education industry,” continued the head of state. “We talk about it a lot. It seems to me things are not improving. I am not saying the education industry has to be radically remodeled. It is more likely that we should protect it and preserve the best features. Yet it is necessary to address the problems that have been piling up. They are not so big after all.”

Aleksandr Lukashenko pointed out similar shortcomings in the healthcare industry. “We have invested a lot in it. Yes, there is progress in the key areas and the entire world has recognized it,” stated the Belarusian leader. Yet Aleksandr Lukashenko said he wanted healthcare industry officials not to forget about minor issues, which effect can cancel out all the positive accomplishments if left unattended.