{"id":190835,"date":"2026-06-06T16:27:43","date_gmt":"2026-06-06T13:27:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/190835\/"},"modified":"2026-06-06T16:27:45","modified_gmt":"2026-06-06T13:27:45","slug":"fugitive-doctors-may-return-if-they-agree-to-wash-dishes-lukasenka-says","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/190835\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cFugitive\u201d doctors may return if they agree to wash dishes, \u0141uka\u0161enka says"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>June 6, <em>Pozirk.<\/em><\/strong> Alaksandar \u0141uka\u0161enka mockingly invited medical workers who fled Belarus for fear of politically motivated persecution to return on the condition that they are willing to wash dishes, take out the trash and perform other menial tasks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While opening a new hospital in Hrodna on June 5, \u0141uka\u0161enka said that the government\u2019s commission for repatriating \u201cfugitives\u201d is receiving applications from medical doctors and teachers. Citing health officials, he claimed that doctors are eager to return to Belarus after leaving the country. \u201cBut why are you coming back?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cAfter all, you went there for salaries and so on. [You turned out to be] outsiders. Very well, we will receive you, so that you wash dishes, etc. Throw disposables, waste in the trash and so on.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The controversial remarks come amid severe shortages of healthcare professionals across the country, with patients complaining of long waits in district hospitals. They also reflect the Belarusian ruler\u2019s desire to exact revenge on doctors and nurses who took to the streets after the 2020 presidential election to protest alleged fraud.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u0141uka\u0161enka role-played a dialogue with imaginary doctors telling him that they wanted to return to Belarus, with the Belarusian ruler replying that \u201cwe have our own doctors here.\u201d They have \u201clost their time and money, and some of them have lost their families,\u201d he commented.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>According to \u0141uka\u0161enka, the medical professionals who took to the streets in 2020 were campaigning for an insurance-based healthcare system and seeking to enrich themselves rather than protesting ballot-rigging and police violence. They have now realized that Belarus\u2019 public healthcare system would have been ruined if their ambitions had come true, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Speaking at the opening ceremony of a new outpatient clinic in Minsk on April 3, \u0141uka\u0161enka called for an end to complaints about staff shortages in Belarus\u2019 healthcare system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u0141uka\u0161enka stressed that there are \u201cenough people\u201d in Belarus. \u201cWe need to build a system so that the people we have can work, earn a living and serve the population. This applies more than 200 percent to the health ministry,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u0141uka\u0161enka added that people living outside Minsk should also have access to quality healthcare, citing the capital\u2019s more advanced medical technology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Access to medical care in Belarus is steadily deteriorating due to ongoing politically motivated reprisals, according to an independent report published last year on the country\u2019s compliance with its human rights obligations under the fourth cycle of the UN Universal Periodic Review.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As of June 5, 2026, the official job bank listed 2,330 vacancies for physicians and 1,853 for nurses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>During the historic post-election protests of 2020, medical workers emerged as a prominent force by providing emergency first aid to injured demonstrators, forming solidarity chains and publicly condemning state-sponsored violence. In the brutal government crackdown that followed, hundreds of doctors were arrested, dismissed from their jobs or forced to flee the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A special government commission established two years ago to handle requests from political emigrants seeking to return to Belarus has allowed 30 people to come back since early 2023, Deputy Prosecutor General Alaksiej Stuk told the <em>Pervy Informatsionny<\/em> television network on October 8, 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>According to Stuk, the commission received 323 requests but considered only 70 on their merits. The remaining applications required clarification, as some lacked necessary information and applicants were asked to provide additional details.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>June 6, Pozirk. Alaksandar \u0141uka\u0161enka mockingly invited medical workers who fled Belarus for fear of politically motivated persecution to return on the condition that they are willing to wash dishes, take out the trash and perform other menial tasks. While opening a new hospital in Hrodna on June 5, \u0141uka\u0161enka said that the government\u2019s commission [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":83,"featured_media":171967,"template":"","rubric":[15],"class_list":["post-190835","articles","type-articles","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","rubric-society"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>\u201cFugitive\u201d doctors may return if they agree to wash dishes, \u0141uka\u0161enka says | Pozirk<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"June 6, Pozirk. 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