MINSK, 9 April (BelTA) – Over 2,500 students annually graduate from medical universities and only around 200-250 doctors leave Belarus every year, Belarusian Healthcare Minister Dmitry Pinevich told the ONT TV channel, BelTA has learned.
“Unfortunately, there is a certain brain drain. Around 200-250 people a year leave Belarus to pursue a career abroad,” Dmitry Pinevich said. However, 2,600-2,800 healthcare workers annually graduate from Belarusian medical universities, he added.
According to the minister, Belarus is not unique in this respect as other countries also face emigration of medical specialists. On the other hand, when Belarusian doctors return home after working abroad, they bring new experience and knowledge, which has “a massive positive effect,” Dmitry Pinevich noted.
“Belarus' main disadvantage in comparison with both our western and eastern neighbors, apart from Ukraine, is salaries. The president instructed the Healthcare Ministry and the Finance Ministry to find a way to keep the average salary after the pandemic at the same level as the salary with bonuses during the pandemic,” he said.
Belarus intends to introduce residency in the near future, Dmitry Pinevich added. This stage of training will be aimed at improving doctors' professional skills and training highly qualified specialists. The government will also pay closer attention to social support and protection of healthcare workers in view of their professional activities. It is also important to ensure better communication between employers and employees during the working process, the healthcare minister stressed.
According to him, these measures will help retain healthcare workers in Belarus.
