MINSK, 27 November (BelTA) – There are no plans to scrap coronavirus bonuses for frontline healthcare workers, President Aleksandr Lukashenko said as he met with the staff of Minsk City Hospital No. 6, BelTA has learned.
“No one will scrap coronavirus benefits, they were formalized by a presidential decree, no one has the right to rescind this decree,” Aleksandr Lukashenko stressed. At the same time, the head of state drew attention to the fact that due to these benefits, health workers are significantly ahead of a number of other public sector employees in terms of salary. In fact, the average salary of healthcare workers has reached the level that was supposed to be reached by the end of the five-year period.
Now the task is to increase salaries of people working in other sectors.
The president drew attention to other types of government support of the healthcare system, like the purchase of equipment and the necessary instruments and tools for healthcare workers.
At the meeting with the head of state, the healthcare workers mentioned that during the first wave of the pandemic they received a lot of help from volunteers and sponsors, while now these types of support are virtually non-existent. “The main reason is that our people have dropped their guard. There was an acute period, everyone was vocal and fearful ... And then they just let it go. Secondly, there was a lot of politics involved. A lot of people were seeking public attention. They got it, released some posts and stopped,” the president said.
Aleksandr Lukashenko is convinced that Belarus will cope with the situation on its own. “Let us treat people on our own,” he said. However, he promised to help with volunteers: “We just did not make proper arrangements. There should be volunteers. Study this issue with volunteers, especially in Minsk, we need to help,” he said.
