Belarus president calls for European countries to fight diseases together

MINSK, 21 October (BelTA) – European countries should work together to fight diseases. Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko made the statement in his speech during the WHO European ministerial conference on the life-course approach to health promotion in Minsk on 21 October, BelTA has learned. The conference was held in the context of the World Health Organization’s health policy framework Health 2020.

Alexander Lukashenko said: “Diseases know no borders. This is why we have to fight them together, helping each other to come up with effective, preemptive actions. It is always easier and more productive to work together.”

In his opinion, European nations face similar problems that need close attention. The problems include aging population, falling birth rate, worsening environmental factors, man-caused catastrophes, epidemics, terrorism and local wars as well as some social phenomena. “It is difficult to fight these problems on one’s own,” stressed the Belarus President. All over the world non-communicable diseases take lives of active able-bodied citizens. Their negative effect on the society is as bad as political and economic crises.

Alexander Lukashenko said he believes that the resulting document of the conference — the Minsk Declaration — will become an important instrument for implementing the WHO European policy framework Health 2020. “The accomplishment of the framework’s three tasks – act in advance, act on time, and act together — will allow securing a positive effect in increasing the life span and the quality of life of people,” noted the head of state.

The Belarusian healthcare system follows the policy of modernization and technological innovations. Quality, effectiveness, and safety of medical services are the main priorities.

The government policy in Belarus also prioritizes the health of mothers and children. The President said that effective measures have been taken in the country, greatly improving medical and demographic figures.

The head of state pointed out the vigorous advance of high technologies in the healthcare industry. Alexander Lukashenko noted that a network of medical centers is available. The centers use state-of-the-art approaches to prevention, diagnostics, treatment and rehabilitation, thus enabling complex operations from heart surgery to the transplantation of organs and tissues.

Apart from that, Belarusian pharmaceutical enterprises are being modernized and start making new medications.

Close attention is also paid to improving the training of medical personnel. Alexander Lukashenko noted with satisfaction that the Belarusian education system, not only medical education, is popular among foreign citizens.

The President stressed that Belarus would not be able to secure these accomplishments without assistance from the leading nations — Russia, the USA, Germany, Austria, other Western countries, which specialists came to Belarus to share their best practices and help learn the operation of cutting-edge equipment. Alexander Lukashenko said he was grateful for the assistance.

Addressing participants of the conference, the head of state said he hopes that their knowledge, experience, and professionalism will be in demand only in conditions of peace and creativity. “May this conference become the guarantee of the openness of our countries, of the readiness to share experience, of the common dedication to preserving and improving the health of the current generation and future ones,” said the Belarusian leader.