Statement by Permanent Representative L.Belskaya at the 77th World Health Assembly

Distinguished Chairperson!

The main priorities of the Belarusian health-care system are focused on:

 improving the availability for all and effectiveness of health services;

ensuring that these services meet the current medical science standards and WHO recommendations;

creating a comprehensive preventive environment and health promotion throughout the life-course;

o    involving of the whole society in promoting healthy lifestyle.

The existing network of health-care facilities ensures access to health care for all, whether urban or rural population. The high number of hospital beds ensures the availability of hospital treatment.

As a result, Belarus had made progress towards achieving SDG 3. According to the latest national statistics, the coverage of essential health services is 87 per cent (SDG 3.8.1).

At the same time, we note with concern the challenges associated with blocking the supply of certain medicines and medical equipment as a result of unilateral coercive measures imposed on Belarus by a group of Western countries.

I will give just a few examples:

In January 2024, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan has refused to issue an export license for the delivery to Belarus of a batch of Japanese-made tuberculosis diagnostic testing systems.

Under the same pretext, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Canada blocked an export license to supply to Belarus gamma-therapy devices which are used for radiation therapy of cancer patients.

Since 2022, two American companies 3M (Triple EM) and Thermo Fisher Scientific suspended delivery to Belarus of some medical products as well as reagents and consumables for clinical laboratory diagnosis and research.

These examples demonstrate that UCM (sanctions) affect the procurement of certain medical goods, lead to over-compliance and aggravate suffering for the most vulnerable patients.

Indiscriminate and inhumane nature of the unilateral coercive measures imposed on Belarus and a number of other countries, is obvious, as well as ineffectiveness of the so-called “smart sanctions” and humanitarian exceptions.

The medical and humanitarian impact of any unilateral sanctions must be adequately assessed by the WHO. States should not push companies to overcompliance. Belarus calls to put an end to illegal UCM especially in the humanitarian sphere to ensure universal health coverage.

Thank you for your attention.

Print version