Belarusian Doctors Outraged By Boorish Remarks Addressed To Them

An official made several controversial remarks about Belarusian doctors during the board of the Ministry of Health.

In particular, explaining their low salaries, Deputy Prime Minister Natallia Kachanava noticed that “they earn as much as they work.”

– A young man who comes to study at a medical university, would hardly expect to receive a huge salary, – she added. – If a person chooses to go to study at a university, where one has to work really hard, then he chooses to work for the benefit of the people, for the benefit of the mankind. Those who provide education for doctors to-be, should keep these in mind.

Salidarnasts has decided to ask the opinion of the Belarusian medical workers in this regard.

– Our job is very dangerous, very difficult – a visiting paramedic of an ambulance brigade Aliaksandr Vauchanin said. - And even if we compare it with the work of the police, the KGB, or the Armed Forces, it is sometimes not less dangerous than the work of the security forces.

The doctor said that he had been working in medicine for over 30 years and was forced to go on duty in two towns at the same time, as one salary was not enough to feed the family, and it was hard to find another part time job in his town.

– It's true, that the supply of medicines and new cars has improved in recent years – he said. - However, they need to change something with the wages. Despite the fact that we like to help people, we would like someone to help us, too. For example, I work for a day in Zhodzina, then I rest for a day and then drive for a day to Barysau.

According to the paramedic, if journalists or government officials left their offices and worked with him for one day, they would look at the problems in medicine from a different angle.