Minister: No disruption of medicine deliveries to Belarus

There is no disruption of medicine deliveries to Belarus and it is unlikely to emerge any time soon, Healthcare Minister Dmitry Pinevich said following his meeting with Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko, BelTA has learned.

The minister briefed the Belarusian president on the logistics of deliveries of medicines, healthcare products and medical equipment. “There are no disruptions despite all the logistics difficulties we are seeing now. All suppliers have confirmed their plans to fulfill their obligations,” Dmitry Pinevich said. There may be some changes in the schedule of delivery though, the minister noted. “Yet, in any case, we have found alternative suppliers for almost all types of medicines and healthcare products,” he said.

According to him, there are some difficulties with the repair of medical equipment, but the minister believes this issue is manageable and he keeps it under constant control. “Yet, this problem has the potential of turning from occasional to systemic,” he explained.

A reminder, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko gave an instruction to diversify suppliers of medicines in order to prevent shortages on the domestic market as he met with Healthcare Minister Dmitry Pinevich, Prosecutor General Andrei Shved and Chairman of the State Security Committee of Belarus (KGB) Ivan Tertel.

“Saying that someone does not sell us something is a poor excuse... You know, medical equipment and medicines are not under strict sanctions. If the Americans don't sell drugs to you, buy them in India, Cuba. It's just a matter of maneuverability. Therefore, excuses for not having enough medicines or something else are not accepted,” the president said.

The head of state instructed Prosecutor General Andrei Shved to take the supply of medicines and other products under control: “You know how to do it. The same ways as you handled the loss of livestock. We need to take it under control and keep an eye on it so that the government does not become complacent.”

The president also discussed the use of medical equipment and the inadmissibility of equipment downtime. “People on the ground tell me that not all of your medical equipment (CT and so on) is in operation due to some malfunctions, and in some cases it does not work for two or three months. This is not okay,” the head of state noted.