On September 25-26, 2024, a trade union conference on the Belarusian healthcare system issues was held in Warsaw, Poland. Experts and participants discussed key aspects of the system’s operation, identified its drawbacks, and suggested ways to address those.
The event’s program covered a broad spectrum of issues, including governance and planning, funding, working conditions, accessibility and the quality of healthcare services. The experts and participants of the conference included representatives of the Salidarnast e.V. Association, the “Panacea” workplace union affiliated to the Free Trade Union of Belarus (SPB), the Healthcare Solidarity Foundation of Belarus, the NGO “Physicians for Truth and Justice!”, and the Office for the rights of disabled people.
The conference focused its attention on the situation of the Belarusian healthcare system which was built on the Soviet model designed to fight epidemics. Experts pointed out that despite its effectiveness in the past, the system fails to tackle today’s challenges; underfunding and low wages of healthcare workers become systemic problems.
“In order to understand that Lukashenka’s social policy has nothing to do with caring for people, we need to delve deeper into the matter”, said Maria Taradzetskaya, the conference organizer. “One of the biggest illusions created by the regime is the myth of “gratuitous healthcare” shored up by the exploitation of medical workers and the systemic deterioration of healthcare quality”.
Taradzetskaya also stressed that the Belarusian Health Ministry is a monopoly charged with planning, regulation, quality control, and procurement. Such level of centralization, in her opinion, leads to warped statistics and data falsification which further exacerbates existing problems.
“The first thing that needs getting rid of is the term “free healthcare”. In reality, the tab is ultimately picked up by taxpayers and the society has the right to a transparent system of resource allocation. Today, healthcare suffers from underfunding, particularly in the regions”, added Taradzetskaya.
She also identified the issue of forced job assignments for graduates of medical universities as one of the factors contributing to staff retention in the country. “The regime takes the term “staff retention” literally, making young professionals work under conditions that are far from normal.”
Governance and planning in healthcare emerged as one of the key topics of the conference. The participants stressed the need for the decentralization of the system, a review of its funding principles, and the accountability of healthcare institutions. Legal relationships between doctors and patients and the decriminalization of medical malpractice were another important aspect of the deliberations. It was noted that healthcare workers sometimes lack legal literacy and do not know how to defend their rights.
Another session was devoted to healthcare workers’ rights. Experts singled out low wages and overtime work as the main tools of worker exploitation in the sector. Participants focused on forced overtime work, the phenomenon of double subordination in hospitals, and systematic violations of working time norms.
The conference raised the issue of professional discrimination with young professionals and women particularly affected. The participants discussed the redistribution of resources and suggested the restructuring of underperforming institutions with the view of improving healthcare workers’ conditions. They focused specifically on the issue of staff shortages which were exacerbated by the country’s demographics.
At the end of the conference, the participants elaborated key proposals to reorm the Belarusian healthcare system. The main conclusions included recognition of healthcare as a common good, ensuring universal access to medical care, as well as creating a transparent system of funding the sector. Experts highlighted the need to protect healthcare workers’ labour rights, including their right to freedom of association and collective bargaining.
The conference organized by the trade union association Salidarnast e.V. and the Global Labour University (GLU) became an important platform for the discussion of the pressing issues within the Belarusian healthcare system and the development of realistic steps towards its reformation.