MINSK, 3 June (BelTA) – We to take serious stock of everything that is being built in the social sector and use the money that will be saved to increase salaries, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko said at an opening ceremony of city children's polyclinic No. 9 in Minsk, BelTA has learned
"On my way here I was thinking whether we are building more cultural, sports and healthcare facilities than needed? We probably do. I do not mean facility for children. Children is a special case. We need to take serious stock of everything that we have built in the social sector. We can travel an extra mile to get to a polyclinic, especially in Minsk, cannot we? The saved money should be used to improve the well-being of medical workers," Aleksandr Lukashenko said.
Most of the national budget is directed to support the social sector. "This is our policy. We are building a welfare state," he said.
We could direct more funds into the social sector, but only if we increase taxes. But it is unlikely that citizens will support such a decision, the head of state noted.
"Therefore, we need to figure out where we get the money in order to raise wages. Then I said that we should probably scale back new construction a bit. The new polyclinic is not just a building. This is a palace. Palaces are expensive. That's the point of what I said more than a year ago. I suggest again that the city of Minsk, and especially the Healthcare Ministry, think about this," Aleksandr Lukashenko said.
