Constitutional Court Leaves Medicine Free :: Charter'97 :: News

The Constitutional court of Belarus halted consideration of the case on the compliance of certain legislative acts on healthcare to the state Constitution, especially those provisions that directly relate to the paid medical services, rendered to the populace by state healthcare institutions.

Legal action over the matter was instituted on December 3, 2002 upon the proposal of the deputies’ group “Republic” in connection with numerous complaints of citizens over the unlawfulness of legal acts, which allow to cater paid medical services for the population.

The session attracted representatives of both chambers of the “parliament”, Cabinet of Ministers, Ministries of healthcare and justice, Supreme court, Supreme economic court, procuracy and other state bodies.

Decision to halt the process was passed by the court, presided by the head of the Constitutional court Grigory Vasilevich, upon the request of the country’s Prime Minister Gennady Novitsky. The head of government explained their request by claiming that the Cabinet must examine the case materials in greater detail before passing an ultimate verdict.

Moreover, in the near future the problem of paid medicine will be additionally dealt with at the meeting of the Cabinet’s presidium, said Vice-Premier Vladimir Drazhin, who represented official government at today’s official session.

Deputy Valery Frolov expressed hope that the Cabinet will cancel the provisions on paid medical services. “How can one take money for medical treatment in the social state, where most helpless population strata – that is the senior generation, which reanimated the country after the war – needs them most,” – wondered Valery Frolov.