The future of any country is, first of all, healthy citizens. As the President of the Republic of Belarus A.G. Lukashenko has repeatedly emphasized: “The health of any nation is the key to its sustainable development and prosperity.” That is why it is important today to preserve a healthy nation and raise a strong generation. And the state always pays the closest attention to this topic.
In this regard, an accessible and effective healthcare system is the most important priority of the state policy of the Republic of Belarus, this is a large-scale achievement of our country.
In Belarus, every citizen, regardless of their level of well-being or social status, has the opportunity to receive any type of medical care free of charge, including the most high-tech. This is a guarantee from the state.
The right to health protection is enshrined in the Constitution of the Republic of Belarus; the state has undertaken the obligation to create conditions for accessible medical care for all citizens.
Belarus is one of the few countries in the post-Soviet space and the European region where the budgetary system of healthcare financing has been preserved and adapted to socio-economic conditions. Total healthcare expenditure in our country is about 5.0% of GDP. For comparison: in 2024, 3.7% of GDP was spent on healthcare in Russia.
A wide network of healthcare institutions has been created and is successfully operating in the republic. Any citizen of the country has the opportunity to promptly receive medical care, with special attention paid to rural areas. Primary healthcare is available in every locality – from feldsher-midwife stations to district and city hospitals and clinics. Today, 14 inter-district centers are successfully operating, where residents of remote areas can receive specialized medical care. In addition, a network of inter-district departments and offices in multidisciplinary healthcare institutions with the latest technical base and qualified specialists is developing.
Accessibility of medical care is one of the main attributes of the Belarusian social state. And this is a direct path to the development of regions, the preservation and strengthening of the demographic potential of Belarus.
Modern medicine is impossible without highly qualified medical personnel. To provide all regions with them, targeted training is carried out, among other things, and rental housing is provided for the specialists to be retained at the local level. As a result, the population of Belarus is currently provided with doctors and mid-level medical workers higher than in Switzerland, Bulgaria, the Netherlands, Lithuania, Austria and Iceland.
The qualifications of Belarusian doctors and other medical personnel are not inferior to the best world standards of medical care. Moreover, we are pioneers in certain types of medical care and are shaping trends in its provision. A clear example is a unique operation to correct a rare congenital heart defect in a child, carried out at the Republican Scientific and Practical Center for Pediatric Surgery in two stages. Such a two-stage surgical approach was used for the first time (!) in the world (2024).
It is also important that Belarusian specialists use the latest medical technologies not only in Minsk, but also in regional centers. For example, as a result, high indicators for 2024 were achieved in the Mogilev Regional Clinical Hospital, where all high-tech operations on the heart and blood vessels are performed, which made it possible to reduce the queue for heart operations from two years to one month. As a result, in May 2025, the healthcare institution was deservedly included on the Republican Honor Board.
The healthcare system is developing dynamically, the medical infrastructure in the republic is constantly being modernized.
Healthcare institutions of Belarus are equipped with the most modern equipment, this is planned work. And our fleet of high-tech equipment is a source of pride.
There is a wide network of pharmacies in the country. Affordability and quality of medicines are important for people, and this is possible, among other things, thanks to the effective work of the pharmaceutical industry.
Providing domestic medicines and expanding this segment is a key task of the state.
The pharmaceutical industry provides a full range of domestic medicines, medical products, as well as access to imported medicines. The share of Belarusian drugs in the domestic market in value terms is maintained at a level of at least 50%, which is one of the highest indicators compared to the domestic markets of neighboring countries.
Belarusian pharmaceuticals are constantly developing. In 2024 alone, 67 new drugs were registered. This is a significant step forward. Moreover, Belarusian drugs, due to their quality and affordable price, are in great demand among guests from neighboring countries.
Belarus is a country with a socially oriented state policy. In order to maintain the availability of medical care in Belarus, the for medical services are regulated by the state, which means that even private clinics cannot exceed a certain level of prices.
You all know that citizens from other countries come to us to receive medical services. Belarus is becoming a popular world destination for medical tourism.
Every year, a large number of tourists come to us not only for recreation, but also to receive qualified medical care in the best clinics and medical centers of our country.
In 2024, Belarus was visited by more than 160 thousand citizens from 159 countries. Compared to 2023, the number of foreign citizens treated has increased by 20%. Most often, citizens of Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Moldova, Armenia, Georgia, Syria, Germany, USA, Sri Lanka, Israel, Italy, Cyprus, Montenegro, Poland and others come through medical tourism. More than 60% of the number of patients are citizens of the CIS countries.
Foreigners are attracted not only by prices, but also by the quality of services provided. These are not those who simply visit our health resorts. Patients come for treatment to specific specialists with world-class qualifications. And here we are talking about saving lives – transplantology, cancer treatment or complex diagnostic tests. A trip to Belarus gives the opportunity to undergo examination “here and now”, check-up programs are developing and are popular.
All this attracts foreign citizens who want to receive high-quality and inexpensive treatment. And this means that medical tourism has become a real brand of Belarus.
It is obvious that the health of the nation is the key to its sustainable development and prosperity. And in order for us to survive as a nation, there must be more and more Belarusians.
And this is not only high standards of medical care and the right to free treatment at the expense of state funds, not only support for motherhood and childhood, but also an active, responsible position of the citizens themselves in maintaining their health. That is why the Constitution contains a norm that health protection is also ensured by the development of physical culture and sports, measures to maintain a healthy environment, and the availability of medical care.
Citizens must take responsibility for their health. In this regard, medical examination of the population is an important tool not only for disease prevention, allowing timely identification and elimination of health risks, but also for educating people about the culture of caring for their health. Each of us must understand that our health is in our own hands.
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Since 2024, the country has set time limits for the convenience of undergoing medical examinations – from one to two days, depending on the age group. The Labor Code of the Republic of Belarus enshrines the right of workers to be released from work while maintaining their average earnings when undergoing medical examinations.
It is fashionable to be healthy, more and more citizens are getting involved in the healthy lifestyle movement. More and more settlements in Belarus are included in the state preventive project “Healthy Cities and Towns”.
Such preventive projects and campaigns as “Strong in Spirit!”, “Care”, “The Future is with Us!”, “Sports for Real Men”, “A Healthy Family is a Healthy Nation”, etc. have already become a tradition.
One of the ways to health is to engage in physical culture and lead an active lifestyle. According to the statistical review of Belstat for World Health Day, at the beginning of 2025, 30.3% of Belarusians were involved in physical exercise or sports (27.2% of men and 32.3% of women). More and more young people are attracted to a healthy lifestyle. 58.7% of young citizens are interested in sports.
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All conditions have been created in the country for this. There are more than 23 thousand physical culture and sports facilities in Belarus, including 56 sports arenas, more than 4.5 thousand gyms, 330 hockey rinks, 407 outdoor tennis courts, 542 shooting ranges, 383 swimming pools, 151 stadiums.
The main goal of the infrastructure of sports facilities created in the country – stadiums, swimming pools, ice arenas, etc. – is to attract the population to a healthy lifestyle. It is convenient, accessible and useful!
A well-organized system of physical culture and health, sports and tourism events has been built and is functioning in the republic.
The number of republican, regional, city, district sports and mass events increases annually. And the number of their participants is constantly growing. The annual Minsk Half Marathon (Minsk), the national running festival Yazylskaya Ten (Starye Dorogi), Gomel Half Marathon! (Gomel), Braginskaya Ten (Bragin), the international Osipovichi Marathon (Osipovichi), Belarusian Cycling Marathon (Grodno), the running festival on the City Day (Novopolotsk), etc. have already become “branded”.
Tourism is developing in the country, and this is also the basis for the formation of a healthy lifestyle. Tourism and health are inseparable.
The Republic of Belarus has everything necessary for the development of active tourism and health and wellness: a variety of cultural, historical
