Belarusian Doctor: They're Waging War Against Private Medical Centers
32- 26.10.2023, 11:11
- 16,818
State-owned medical facilities are losing competition.
On 25 October, the Belarusian Ministry of Health announced the revocation of the medical licence of Vnuki Hippocrates, a private medical centre in Minsk.
Previously, the authorities had closed the Novoye Zrenie private medical centre and suspended the licences of Lode and Nordin.
Why are the authorities cracking down on private medicine? Charter97.org spoke to a doctor at the regional hospital on condition of anonymity:
- We have been at war with private medical centres lately. They are taking the best specialists away from medicine. The salaries are low, so those doctors who can't go abroad go into private medicine.
There is an unspoken order not to fire doctors if it is known that specialists are joining private medical centres. They are forced to work until their contracts expire. That is why competitors are destroyed in this way.
The state has a monopoly on medicine. Maybe one has fallen foul of someone in high office.
- Is there a big difference in quality between private medicine and state hospitals?
- Private medicine sets the standard. There are many good doctors in state hospitals, but it's a lottery. In addition, there is now an outflow of personnel, and the shortage of doctors means that young doctors are playing the first violin, which does not always mean a better quality of service.
And the private sector has better quality control. In state hospitals, everything may depend on the mood of the doctor.
- Will doctors from closed private medical centres go to work in state hospitals?
- I don't think so. An ophthalmologist I know went to Russia when Novoye Zrenie closed. Even there, salaries are much higher.
- Doctors in the Homiel region are now being dismissed in agreement with the local executive committee. Is the situation similar in other regions?
- It doesn't reach the executive committees, but you can't leave so easily. Long talks in the offices with the chief doctor, they stall in every possible way, persuade, intimidate, threaten. Those who have one or two years left on their contract do not get in the way, they work.
- What about salaries?
- A little more, but not a lot of money. They earn much more in private sector, not to mention those who go abroad and work in Poland and Lithuania. I can tell you that people don't come here for the money.
Bank's name: Bank Millennium S.A.
Address: ul. Stanislawa Zaryna, 2A, 02-593, Warszawa
IBAN: PL97116022020000000216711123
SWIFT: BIGBPLPW
Name of the account holder: Fundacja “KARTA ‘97”
Purpose/title of payment: Donation for statuary aims
You can contact us by the e-mail charter97@gmail.com
