"BT Didn't Come To Shoot Truth, But People Satisfied With Their Lives"

Babruisk doctors told us why they started a riot against the propagandists.

On May 20, the Belarusian TV crew arrived at the emergency station in Babruisk. The shooting triggered a spontaneous rally - physicians and ambulance drivers, who had written a collective appeal to Lukashenka the day before, were outraged that they were not allowed to tell the whole truth about their situation on camera, Babruisk Courier reports.

As early as May 13, two hundred employees of the Babruisk emergency station sent a letter to the Lukashenka administration, telling that the bonuses, promised by 131st decree, had not been received by everyone, and asking to clarify the criteria for determining to whom and how much extra money would be paid.

Yesterday, according to doctors, the leadership of the emergency station decided to hold a sort of meeting and try to explain the nuances of the decree, which coincided with the BT visit.

"We are told that they act and pay the bonuses according to the order of the Ministry of Health. But we don't understand the explanations that we hear from our management, - Maryna Krasnanosava, a paramedic of the outgoing intensive care team, says. - They start saying to us something that those who have been in contact with confirmed covid cases will get the bonuses. But tests are not done for everyone, and we all bring those with pneumonia, high fever, and ARVI every day. In any case, we work in conditions of infection, we take risks every day when we come to work, so I think that we all deserve an extra payment."

Even the employees working at weekends, or those working the night shift, came to the meeting with the management and journalists today.

But, according to the doctors, only two employees who received the highest bonuses were invited to the BT cameras. The rest of them were simply not allowed to speak out.

"They did not come to shoot the truth, but people satisfied with life," - the ambulance workers note.

"The truth is that we did not ask for these extra payments, and now they start dividing us into those who are worthy of this money and those who are not, - Maryna Krasnanosava says. - And we defend our rights, ask questions to our administration and want to get reasonable answers to them - to be told how the decree 131 works."

The paramedic says that just yesterday their colleague was removed during their shift - the sanitary station called and reported about her positive test for coronavirus.

"It turns out that we are all here - the 1st level contacts, there are also covid-positive, - the woman notes. - But they do not test us, we can't go to isolation, we have to work until the first symptoms. So we go to the patients, we take public transport, we go back to the family".

Salaries are not as high as they should be, and now the load has increased, with more calls for high temperature and pneumonia, the ambulance station workers say.

"My salary is Br600, and I have five children, - Siarhei Hatsko, a driver, said. - Do you think it's enough?"

However, there's nothing wrong with personal protective gear now, the doctors say, - they have got plenty of everything. The deficit, according to the drivers, is in cars. Several old cars have long been standing in the yard of the station "at bay". In addition, the resuscitation vehicle, which served both the town and the district, is out of order. They haven't been able to fix it for a month, because the necessary spare parts are not available.

The ambulance station workers note that they are no longer afraid to speak openly about their problems, because they have no more strength to bear them. So far, there's been no pressure or threats of dismissal. And if they do start, the doctors and drivers note that 90% will write statements and quit. And then there will be no one in town to provide emergency medical care.

According to the paramedics, they, just like other Babruisk residents, do not know how many people are infected in the town - they are not told. According to their colleagues, they only know that there are no more places in the infectious disease department.

"I want to address all the Babruisk residents - please, observe the rules of hygiene and protection against the virus, - Maryna Krasnanosava says. - Wear masks and gloves, avoid crowds of people. Believe me - more often those who neglect all this get sick. And personally, I am shocked by how many such careless people are around."