Doctors, Do Not Be Silent, But Help To Prevent Catastrophe!

Thousands of lives of our compatriots are at stake.

Well, what can I say, people - we all lingered, tolerated, pulled time, but we have finally reached it - the moment when Lukashenka in fact became a mass murderer. The current situation with the coronavirus is not just frightening, it is tragic, ant it is twice as tragic for Belarus. The man who decides everything did nothing to restrain the spread of the deadly infection, having hoped for mere luck.

There have been enough problems even without it. The lack of money and the falling oil prices stroke a serious blow against the economy, and here came this damned epidemic, practically fell right on the head. It may seem necessary to consider the experience of others, and prepare for the catastrophe: acquire respiratory units, antiseptics, special remedies, high-quality medicines, give children vitamins at schools. But we are making flagpoles, holding sports championships, and getting ready for the Slavonic Bazaar. The selfish interest of one person overcame common sense. And we are the ones who will pay for this with our lives.

The first official victim of the coronavirus in Belarus is Viktar Dashkevich, the actor of the Vitsebsk National Drama Theatre named after Yakub Kolas. We know about this only because he was a celebrity.

But how many Belarusians had died from the coronavirus before him? How many families are not allowed to tell how they lost their loved ones? How many people are now held in the overcrowded hospitals with the diagnosis of “pneumonia”, and the coronavirus symptoms?

Only rumours reach us, the doctors are silent, bind by the non-disclosure obligation and the threat of dismissal. I know it first-hand. Very few medical workers are ready to tell the truth, and even the scarce information that they provide is enough to understand what is going on.

Lukashenka’s illiteracy will cost us dearly, it will claim thousands of human lives. The lives of thousands of our compatriots are at stake. There is no sense in appealing to the dictator. Or the intimidated officials, who have long adopted a habit of thinking only about themselves.

I am appealing to the doctors. You are at the forefront of struggling with the disease, and we thank you for what you are doing. But you can do more. The cowardly power is blackmailing and intimidating you now, but it will shift all the blame on you later. Trust me, the threat of dismissal is nothing compared with the loss of a loved person. You will not remain jobless. Do not be silent, tell us about the real situation. Help to prevent the catastrophe.

Andrei Voynich, press-center of the European Belarus civil campaign