Working trip to Mogilev

Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko attended a ceremony to open the Mogilev Oblast Hospital cardiac surgery and therapeutics buildings on 5 November.

The inauguration ceremony took place ahead of the national holiday - October Revolution Day.

The head of state noted that October Revolution Day was one of the most significant holidays along with Victory Day in the Soviet times. Later this holiday went into the background. Belarus, however, decided to keep the tradition of celebrating the Great October Revolution. Moreover, Belarusians have given a new meaning to it: the country opens socially important facilities ahead of 7 November.

“Many countries decided that this was a bad day, a bad holiday. I do not think so. This is our history after all. Everything we have today has its roots in the Soviet era. After being crushed by the Great Patriotic War (there was nothing left in Belarus after the war), we revived the country. If not for those times, we would not have been able to create much and we would have lost much of what was created,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.

The head of state emphasized that the Belarusians have never abandoned the best legacy of the era. “The main thing is that this is our history. It is possible to change, adjust the future, but we cannot change the past. Today we can see that we did the right thing by filling the tradition of celebrating the Great October Revolution with a new meaning,” the president said.

The president stressed that it was this event that gave start to the construction of the Belarusian state in the last century. “We continue the path of those who laid the first bricks in the construction of this state,” he said.

“No matter how much someone might want it today, we will never abandon the history of our ancestors' labor deeds. Neither sanctions nor pandemics will stop us, just as neither the civil nor the Great Patriotic War stopped the Belarusians. As much as we can, we will develop and create the best living conditions for our people,” said Aleksandr Lukashenko.

“You can see that the world has gone crazy, and it has become a lot harder to work. The pandemic has increased the pressure of large states on medium and small ones, and, as I have already said, it is very important for us to survive, withstand and win in this difficult time. The most important thing now is to survive,” said the Belarusian leader.

The president emphasized that Mogilev has greatly changed in recent years and continues to develop. Speaking about the new cardiology units of the Mogilev Oblast Hospital, the head of state stressed their importance for the region. “Mogilev Oblast needed them much. In my opinion, you have reached the level of Minsk Oblast,” he said.

Aleksandr Lukashenko thanked everyone who had taken part in the design and construction of the new cardiology center. He added that a new sports center has been recently built in Mogilev as well. The 50-meter swimming pool will open here ahead of October Revolution Day celebrations.

“Healthcare and sports are what our people need. The new sports center provides everything necessary for preventive activities, rehabilitation after illness, physical development of children and adults. Everything has been done for people to maintain a healthy lifestyle,” the president said.

The president added that modern, high-tech medical centers are being built in different regions of the country. He urged citizens to cherish this heritage and remember that it belongs to the Belarusian people. “Never allow any privatization. While I am here, I will not allow it. It should belong to you. You have seen how private healthcare in the West has shown itself: thousands and thousands of patients,” said Aleksandr Lukashenko.

The head of state said that a well-thought approach would be taken to the construction of new hospitals and schools in the country. It is necessary to improve the existing institutions and ensure they meet the world standards, he stressed. All the more so that regional hospitals already compete with the Minsk ones.

“We need to learn to provide care with the number of beds we have. That is why we are optimizing now. We need to raise salaries for doctors and teachers because they are the backbone of our society,” the Belarusian leader said.

The president remarked that the coronavirus cases are decreasing in Belarus. "Belarus COVID cases have already dipped from the latest peak. Many regional and other hospitals are already reducing the number of beds for COVID-19 patients. We have begun to provide routine care in full volume," Aleksandr Lukashenko said.

The head of state urged citizens to take care of their health and be responsible. "Take care of yourself. Everything depends on you. Masks are your business. We will not make you do it. But remember that it is you who are the architects of your health," the president emphasized.

"We will not ‘press' anyone. We will explain and convince you to use means of protection," Aleksandr Lukashenko said.

After the opening ceremony the head of state was informed about the state and prospects of the social infrastructure facilities of Mogilev Oblast, the operation of the hospital. Even amidst the pandemic, funds are provided to upgrade the existing healthcare facilities and commission new ones in the region. In general, the healthcare system is operating steadily, and routine medical services are provided.

Salaries of healthcare workers are growing. This is partly due to bonuses for treating COVID-19 patients. Aleksandr Lukashenko emphasized that even when the number of COVID-19 cases goes down, it is necessary to try to maintain the existing level of salaries. In this regard, Healthcare Minister Dmitry Pinevich noted that part of the funds allocated to handle the current surge in cases will be used in the future as financial incentives for healthcare workers.

As for the new heart center, Head Physician of Mogilev Oblast Hospital Anatoly Kulik emphasized that it was very much needed by the city and the region. The president was told in detail about the physical infrastructure of the center, the head of state also visited the facility and talked to the staff.

Retired doctors of the hospital also came to meet with the president. As it turned out, Aleksandr Lukashenko knew and remembered some of them from his previous visits to the hospital in the capacity of the president. It was noted that the hospital is now a far cry from what it used to be.

The head of state was presented with a souvenir made of glass - a heart lying on palms of hands.

During his visit to the heart center, Aleksandr Lukashenko noted that along with advancing medicine, it is necessary to promote a healthy lifestyle and make people take care of their health.

The president talked to Mogilev residents after visiting a sport and recreation center. He said that state-run companies should be prioritized as far as housing construction is concerned.

Aleksandr Lukashenko told the Mogilev residents, who came to the sport and recreation center: “I didn't plan on meeting with you today but I am very glad that you've come. The oblast governor didn't warn me that people will be here. But I am very glad. I recalled my childhood when I traveled along this road. I know this area very well but I don't recognize it. It didn't just change over the course of a quarter of a century, it became new.”

Continuing the line of thought, the president talked about housing construction for people on the housing register. “If someone stands to gain by building these houses, it should be the state. It is my only requirement. We don't want any private construction we don't need,” Aleksandr Lukashenko stressed.

The head of state noted that the relevant practice has already produced results in Minsk. Similar requirements for construction are used in the regions, too. “I've often described how private real estate developers operate. A private real estate developer may not even have an office or people. He or she takes out a bank loan, approaches a [state-run] construction company, and hands over the money. Then the company builds housing with a small profit margin. The private developer sells the apartments at a good price and pockets the profit. One wonders why we need such construction companies at all. State-run companies should be given territories for construction. Make deals with them, with a 5% profit margin, and the prices will be in hands of the Mogilev mayor,” the president said.

As a result judging from Minsk's experience they have managed to greatly reduce the cost of housing construction.

Aleksandr Lukashenko remarked that he is not against private companies getting construction contracts but they have to be genuine civil engineering firms with a sufficient number of personnel and the relevant specialists.

“State-run civil engineering companies should be prioritized. The state is responsible for state-run companies. When we set things in order here, the number of overdue construction projects that we have to finish dropped considerably,” the head of state pointed out. “We've put things right now. And we should move in this direction. Certainly, someone may not like it. You know who. But it is their problems. We should work in the interests of an overwhelming majority of people. Let's see what becomes of it in 2-3 years. The practice produces good results for now.”

Speaking about the work of construction workers as a whole, Aleksandr Lukashenko stressed these specialists are very important for the development of the country. “What changes are you talking about when there are no beautiful houses? This is why construction workers are the foundation of any movement forward. Without it [the construction of sports facilities, in particular, rower training ones] there will be no athletes, it is impossible to train everyone on the Dnieper River, people will have nowhere to live. I've always appreciated construction workers. Construction is heavy work done in cold, rainy, and hot weather.”