Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya: “Dear medical professionals,
I know how difficult it is to work in healthcare right now. Medical workers have become hostages of politics. Many have been dismissed, some forced into exile, others face persecution. Meanwhile, the regime is only making the situation worse. More than 5,000 healthcare workers were fired in April alone. Medical university graduates are being held hostage in the regions – not through fair salaries or housing but empty promises of ‘career growth’. Belarusian doctors are being forced to secretly treat Russian soldiers, while political prisoners in our country are dying because they are denied medical care. And while the Ministry of Health claims there is no staff shortage, children are dying in Belarus – because there’s no one there to help them.
If anyone is truly helping the sick, it’s not the regime – it’s you. You, Belarusian doctors, are the real foundation of our healthcare system. You remain humane even in unbearable conditions. You work in outdated hospitals and clinics, with worn-out equipment and a critical lack of staff – but you keep healing, listening, and comforting.
I’m inspired by your resilience and professionalism. You deserve respect, decent wages, and humane working conditions. I believe the time will come when medical professionals will be true authorities instead of subordinates. When the state will support your growth rather than hinder it. When your work will once again become a passionate vocation rather than a daily sacrifice. When you and your work will be valued with the same dignity with which you care for our citizens.
Happy Medical Worker Day!”
Photo: Natalia Fedosenko / ITAR-TASS
