Belarusian doctors
Bohua News March 28 - The Polish Minister of Health has received 72 medical work applications from Belarusian citizens and agreed to their right to obtain a professional license for doctors, dentists, nurses or midwifes in the territory of the Republic of Poland. During this period, the Health Minister has approved 13 applications to allow qualified Belarusian doctors outside the EU to work in Poland.
Pediatrician Aleksandr from Belarus said that I came to Starachowice a month ago. What is the reason? The recent events in Belarus have prevented me from working calmly because people who disagree with the system are under pressure from hospital administration and other agencies. Personally, despite the differences between me and management, it has not affected me. I decided not to wait for the authorities to fire me and fire the authorities directly. The problem began with the first wave of the pandemic, when hospitals tampered with COVID-19 death statistics. People die not from coronavirus, but from chronic diseases. According to official data, the number of deaths per day during the first wave period will not exceed 4, and the number of deaths will not exceed 10 now. This is impossible because there are coronavirus patients in every hospital.
If we compare the data on how many Belarusians died in the first half of 2019 and the first half of 2020, we will find a serious difference: in this example, there were more than 13,500 people, or more deaths. Why are so many people dying from chronic diseases on the death report? But the official position is that in Belarus, patients infected with COVID-19 will not die.
I don’t know why the government chose this path. When Europe imposes restrictions, all Belarus' practices are conducive to the spread of the virus. Another increase occurs when students return to college. I don't know why the government did nothing, but I think it was a reflection of the Soviet era, and they hid the truth from us.
Yes, Europe also doesn't have enough resources to fight viruses. But European authorities are indeed trying their best to protect the health of doctors. But we did nothing. Many Belarusian doctors have died and no one is responsible for this. With their help, the volunteers quickly brought safety measures to the doctors, even food and water. This epidemic has strengthened social unity, and for this election campaign, it has encountered a "give fuel to the fire" situation, which has made us even more united.
Why did I choose Poland? Our languages are similar to each other. We can get along easily and learn everything quickly. While I was still in Minsk , I found an institution that could help doctors find jobs in Poland. Through them, I submitted the documents to the Ministry of Health.
I also found the opportunity to go to Starachowice in this way. They reported to local medical institutions that local hospitals are looking for employees. I learned that small towns in Poland lack staff. Because it is difficult to find a job in Warsaw . The same is true in Belarus. Everyone wants to go to a big city.
After I arrived at Starachowice, I regained my mental peace. When I went to the store, there were Poles helping me. They understand me and when I pronounce it incorrectly, they correct my Polish pronunciation.
Aleksandr said she is currently working as an assistant in a hospital. Once I get the chance to become a regular, I can get promoted. Time will tell. I plan to stay in Poland forever. I'm trying to look at life from a broader perspective and I can't see any prospects for children in Belarus. Our diploma is not recognized by anyone, which is why many Belarusian students study abroad. What we are experiencing now, Poles have experienced it 40 years ago.
Bahdan: I would be happy if I became a doctor and could be the same as the Poles’ salary!
My name is Bahdan, and I am an anesthesiologist in Minsk, Belarus. During my studies, I worked as a nurse (three years) and a nurse (three years). Then he worked as a doctor for another five years. I have worked in departments such as Obstetrics and Gynecology, Urology, Orthopedics, Surgery and Neurosurgery. I learned all the knowledge of all the professions.
Bahdan said that on August 9 last year, a presidential election was held in my country and followed by large-scale protests. I am one of those doctors who endure violent service and I have been jailed twice for this. I have been sued and filed three administrative lawsuits against me. When I realized that before they sent me to jail, I decided I better leave, especially since I had a tourist visa in Poland.
At the beginning, I didn't think I would stay in Poland for a long time. But after a while, I realized that I was afraid to return to Belarus. On August 9, Belarusians launched a large-scale protest. Authorities are trying to crack down on us through all forms of violence: they use not only tear gas and rubber bullets, but also cruel methods of interrogation. The person who ended up in jail was beaten and abused there. Naturally, the entire medical community disagrees. During the days when Belarus resumed its cut-off in the internet (August 9-12), all doctors and sometimes hospital administrators decided to use radio to collect information, unite and express opposition to violence. In the first such operation, I was arrested. I was then taken to the police station and then in solitary confinement and finally I was beaten.
I suffer from chronic disease, diabetes. These police actions worsened my condition and I was hospitalized in intensive care. A month later, the investigation into me since August 12 was suspended, but the administrative process began, so I was in solitary confinement for the second time. I stayed there for three days before the trial. The court released me due to formal errors and the lawsuit against me has been sent to amendment. After the trial, I felt uneasy. I panic when I walked down the street. I came to the conclusion that to calm down, I should leave this country for a while. That's why I went to Poland, my friend, a doctor who worked in Poland, brought me to Poland.
Then, in December 2020, the Polish Ministry of Health issued a provision that foreign doctors with equal qualifications could fill in some positions. I started looking for jobs in hospitals in Poland and some agencies responded to my application. I collected all the documents, first of which was to apply to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for recognition of the Belarusian diploma.
Unfortunately I'm not working at the moment, but I'm learning Polish and preparing for my internship. And, I don't know when it will be approved. I hope I can become a doctor and be recognized within one year and all formalities will be handled properly.
I was interviewed at Ostrołęka Hospital. The hospital manager knows why I came to Poland. He said I was qualified to be a doctor. He just told me to cheer up from life in Poland. Currently I'm doing this. I think this is the same kind of unity.
It is obvious that Poland lacks doctors, and at the same time, I hear that not everyone is satisfied with this new ruling, because obviously doctors from the East will replace Polish jobs. I don't know if I believe it. I just hope someone understands my situation.
In fact, the massive outflow of Belarusian doctors began at the beginning of the year. According to statistics, about 1,000 doctors leave the country every year. In August 2020 (even before the election), the Ministry of Health did not release statistics at all. According to reports, the statistics are 2 to 3 times higher. I think at least 2-3,000 doctors will leave by 2020. Doctors do not have to go to Poland, medical staff can choose more in Germany, because it is much easier to confirm a diploma in Germany than in Poland. Doctors in Russia and Ukraine are also very popular.
Unfortunately, due to my legal issues, I will not be able to return to Belarus in the next five years. But I definitely want to come back. We will see what will happen in five years, and now there is no need to guess. Of course I love Belarus and my motherland, but Poland is also a very good country. There are many people here to show our support. The Poles helped many Belarusians find their residence. I would be very happy about it if I could be a doctor and could earn as much as a Pole.
In the case of the pandemic, it seems to me that the Belarusian Ministry of Health chose the wrong strategy.We have a lot of beds (it is true, because there are more beds in hospitals in Belarus than in hospitals in Italy or Germany), so we can go along the roads in the UK. 75% of people need to be infected by the coronavirus to achieve herd immunity.
I am not a statistician and I don't know how to process statistics, but this underestimated number of coronavirus cases has caused people not to be afraid of it. So, in a sense, the Belarusians lost in the war with the virus.
The pressure on doctors is the result of the government's attempt to continue to rule. Therefore, he did not consider that the pandemic is still continuing, and the second wave is coming, and the IT workers who account for the largest GDP in our country are leaving our country, and that is the problem. But this is just my opinion. To be honest, I can't tell the feeling, I'm just an ordinary doctor
