Фото: пресс-служба Лукашенко
Aliaksandr Lukashenka today attended the opening ceremony of Minsk’s new City Clinical Infectious Diseases Hospital. In his speech, he launched into reflections on life, mixing points about the pandemic, electricity replacing money, price regulation, salaries, health, sanctions, import substitution, a time of opportunities and thin-walled structures.
“Let us live calmly and quietly under these conditions. Without conflicts and wars. And gradually, gradually move forward. No one will resolve our problems for us, so let us take action,” he said.
He noted that the country had previously set a target of reaching an average salary of $500, but that it is now higher, so he should not be held responsible.
“What complaints can there be against the authorities, against me…? And from here on, you have to earn money. You have probably noticed that I am no longer setting any thresholds, neither $1,000 nor $1,500. At the same time, we are keeping prices in check. Do you all want a market economy? Please, we can introduce one for you within 24 hours. But think about how you will live under market conditions,” Lukashenka said.
He then sought to frighten those gathered by warning that, if price controls were abolished, agricultural producers would “send prices soaring”. He argued that it would be better to preserve the existing system rather than embrace the free-market idea being promoted from outside.
“We have been moving forward calmly, understanding that some things need to be planned everywhere. In some areas, we need to hold things back; in others, allow more freedom. We have given people freedom: go ahead, work, including in healthcare. Private medicine is not prohibited here. But oversight is extremely strict. And it will remain so. Because people’s health matters,” he said, changing the subject.
Lukashenka urged people not to rush, but to tighten the screws in some areas and loosen them in others.
“Let us not rush, but move forward calmly, planning, restraining some things and giving others more freedom so that life becomes freer. But we must keep moving forward and not stand still. Believe me, today is a time of opportunities. You are standing before me, and not one of you is thinking about sanctions. As I said two or three years ago, we are not allowed to talk about sanctions or cite them as the cause of any of our troubles. Sanctions are a time of opportunities,” he continued.
Lukashenka noted that the country had taken up import substitution in response to the sanctions.
“But we should only buy what we cannot make ourselves. What we can produce, we must produce ourselves. We need to make everything. And choose the right moment to do it. Today is the moment when we can make something, build something. But we have to make an effort. The main issue we must address constantly is discipline and order,” he said.
He also took the opportunity to emphasize his foresight in deciding to build a nuclear power plant. Poland and Europe now want to develop nuclear energy, while Elon Musk believes electricity will replace money in the future, Lukashenka said, citing these as arguments.
“What if we had listened to those loudmouths and not built it? Just look: without electricity, there is nothing. With electricity, you can do anything. Even cars today run on electric power. We have even started making electric vehicles — passenger cars for the public, trucks and so on. Our trains run along railway lines powered by overhead wires. Nothing is possible without electricity. That is why I have decided to build another unit at the nuclear power plant. This is for our children and grandchildren, for young people. By the time we build this third unit, you will have grown up and will be using it,” he said.
According to him, electricity is now being used to heat homes and for cryptocurrency mining.
“Recently, the world’s first well-known trillionaire, Musk, said that money will disappear in the future. What will replace it? He says electricity. That is what the future will bring. So, once again, the Lord has helped us get in on this trend,” Lukashenka said, citing another argument.
He also touched on issues related to the construction of the infectious diseases hospital.
“You remember the so-called pandemic that we went through together. We were the only country in the world to follow our own path and benefit from it. We saved ourselves by not following others, who imposed full lockdowns and scattered helicopter money. We could afford neither of those things,” the head of state said. “But we drew the appropriate conclusions when we were rushing from one place to another, looking for facilities for infectious disease patients. Fortunately, we had not eliminated infectious disease departments and hospitals in district centres and regional cities. But we saw that in megacities such as Minsk, we lacked precisely this kind of compact facility where these patients could be accommodated,” he said.
It should be noted that Belstat did not publish mortality data after 2020. Although it has since resumed publication, it has not filled in the gaps for the pandemic years.
“We have learned lessons from the recent pandemic. We did not dismiss anything or push anything aside. We saw our own shortcomings, too. And we must be ready at all times to prevent a recurrence of the mistakes and shortcomings that occurred in the past,” Lukashenka said, referring to the hospital’s construction.
He believes the infectious diseases hospital should not stand idle.
“These buildings must not stand empty. They must operate efficiently and deliver results. In this connection, we discussed a problem: we have gone too far in some respects. We began building ‘palaces’ instead of hospitals some time ago. You know, a hospital is not a resort. The operating rooms, intensive care units, wards and departments must be ideal. They must be above world standards. And we will spare no expense on that. But everything else, I emphasize once again, is not a resort,” he said.
Light-gauge steel structures with thin walls were used in the hospital’s construction, reducing both the construction time and the project’s cost.
“The main advantage of this technology is the ability to quickly reconfigure the layout if necessary. And in the event of a new epidemic, God forbid, we will be able to double the hospital’s capacity,” he said, adding that the technology should be used in the construction of other buildings.
The hospital’s opening was timed to coincide with November 7.
“Why are we opening it ahead of time? Because I have a very large and important programme for November 7 and on November 7. There were simply no other days left,” he said.
“We have done a great deal to present gifts to our people. And here is another gift, an important facility. It will open its doors to the Belarusian people, not just the residents of Minsk. I have once again warned our mayor that people from all over the country should be able to undergo diagnostics and receive treatment here in Minsk. Their money has also been invested in this hospital,” Lukashenka said.