MINSK, 21 October (BelTA) – Belarus fully supports the initiatives of the World Health Organization (WHO) and makes every effort to implement them, Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko said speaking at the WHO European Ministerial Conference on the Life-course Approach in the Context of Health 2020 in Minsk on 21 October, BelTA has learned.
The event is dedicated to the new WHO policy health 2020. It is a large-scale action plan aimed at preventing the spread of infectious diseases.
“The health of the nation is the main asset of any state and the basis of its prosperity,” stressed the President.
The conference shows that there is a need to elaborate common approaches to addressing topical health problems for all the states. According to the President, it is important to have efficient solutions and research activities that give positive results in increasing the lifespan and improving the quality of life.
Alexander Lukashenko stressed that Belarus may offer the international community its experience in addressing a number of issues such as the minimization of the Chernobyl impact, the development of medical centers, ensuring maximum access to medical institutions and others.
“Our domestic policy is based on the construction of the socially-oriented state. It is of utmost importance especially for our region after the collapse of the Soviet Union when we all rushed to develop the market economy forgetting about people,” said the Belarusian leader.
According to the head of state, healthcare, education and affordable housing are the areas that take into account people's interests, determine the quality of life and form the human capital. In his words, they are the vital factors in securing concord in the society and stability in any state.
Alexander Lukashenko noted that Belarus had to do a lot for it. He also mentioned the difficult period the country lived through in the 1990s, the time when Belarus gained sovereignty. The material and technical basis of the country's health institutions, their personnel and financial security were weak, with a wide gap in the access to qualified medical aid in regions. This could not but affect the demographic situation in the country. The President stressed that Belarus, despite all its economic difficulties, put considerable financial resources in addressing social issues in the first place.
In his words, significant funds are allocated for the healthcare in the country on an annual basis. In 2014 the healthcare sector accounted for nearly 6% of GDP. Considerable resources are earmarked by sponsors as well. According to Alexander Lukashenko, these efforts helped build more than 130 medical facilities during the ongoing five-year period. Besides, the development of 17 national research centers of the country has been completed in recent years.
