Chairman of the Belarusian Union of Healthcare Workers Vyacheslav Shilo noted steady growth in key indicators: doctor staffing levels at full capacity in the country exceeded 96%, average healthcare personnel reached 97%, and the retention rate for young specialists on their first jobs came close to 80%, significantly surpassing planning targets.

This was stated by the head of the industry union during an external meeting of the presidency of the Republican Committee of BPRZ.

– The main secret behind these figures lies in practical work on the ground. The key tool that helps solve specific problems of doctors and retain them in the profession has become collective agreements. Nearly 95% of healthcare institutions where graduates from medical universities and colleges are directed have recorded real support measures in these documents.

Natalia Kupreychik, head of the socio-economic department of BPRZ, detailed how collective agreements work in practice and help meet the life needs of healthcare workers. In nearly 67% of organizations, norms for assistance with housing or compensation for renting apartments have been included in contracts. The union, together with the Ministry of Health, conducts regular monitoring: living conditions for youth are checked down to photo reports, and issues regarding additional payments from the budget are resolved with local authorities.

Collective agreements guarantee young specialists significant allowances above their base salary – on average they amount to about 44%, and also provide the right to additional incentive leave. In addition, upon employment, material assistance is paid out – ranging from two to ten basic amounts, and currently the union is actively initiating the practice of one-time payments for those who are ready to sign the next contract immediately for five years.

In more than 700 institutions, the mentorship system has been formalized through collective agreements. Experienced doctors and nurses receive material payments for transferring their experience to novices, which helps youth enter the profession painlessly.

The documents specify material payments for childbirth, benefits for employees with family responsibilities, as well as the possibility of receiving paid study leave or upskilling funded by the institution.

According to Natalia Kuprychik, the collective agreement becomes a true protective mechanism only when it answers simple questions of an employee: where to live, what salary to receive, and whom to turn to for help. It is exactly this approach that today helps retain doctors and nurses in regions.

The meeting of the republic's medical proactivist took place at the Petrikov Central District Polyclinic. Members of the board of the industry union were familiarized with the work of the maternity and gynecology department, the day hospital, and the endoscopy room.

During the external session of the industry union board, a certificate worth six thousand rubles was handed over as free sponsorship support from the Belarusian Union of Healthcare Workers to the Petrikov Central District Hospital. With these funds, refrigerators will be purchased for the dining rooms, cabinets for storing sanitary-hygienic clothing of employees, and three sofa-beds for the restroom of field medics of the outbound emergency medical services department.

Chairman Vyacheslav Shilo of the BPRZ noted that supporting district hospitals and creating decent working conditions for medics on site remains a constant priority of the union:

– Care for healthcare workers begins with comfortable conditions at the workplace. When paramedics or nurses have the opportunity to properly rest after a difficult call and dine in a cozy setting, it affects their well-being and mood. We understand the load that specialists face in districts, and we strive to help them promptly where it is truly needed.

Head Doctor Evgeny Logvinets of the Petrikov Central Regional Hospital thanked the head of the industry union for attention to the needs of regional medicine and touched upon problematic issues. In particular, he expressed hope for legislative regulation of maintaining average earnings for medics who represent the hospital at union forums and Spartakades, since such events are an important part of team cohesion.