Belarus

The relationship between Belarus (formerly Belorussia) and Russia has remained strong since the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991. Both countries are struggling economically, and healthcare systems combine elements of the old and new political and economic systems. While Belarus is technically a democracy, it is in reality a dictatorship. Healthcare is available for all Belarusians, but it is often accessed through connections and informal payments, and those who have neither sometimes go without medical attention. A 2004 study found that 10 percent of Belarusians submit informal payments whenever they seek medical care.

With a per capita income of $7,100, Belarus ranks 112th in world incomes. The government reports unemployment at 1.6 percent, but evidence of widespread underemployment exists. Fourteen percent of the population is engaged in agriculture. Some 27.1 percent of the population live in poverty. Belarus has one of the most equal income distributions in the world, ranking 30.4 percent on the Gini index of inequality. One-fifth of all resources are in the hands of the richest 10 percent of the population, and the poorest 10 percent claim 5.1 percent of resources. The United Nations Development Programme Human Development Reports ranks Belarus as 67th on general quality-of-life issues.

[Page 216]The social security system covers all permanent residents who are employed as well as workers on cooperatives and farms. Separate systems cover aviators, teachers, artists, athletes, civil servants, some medical personnel, and those whose health was affected by the Chernobyl accident. The system is financed through a 1-percent tax on earnings. In addition to healthcare coverage, benefits include cash payments for illness, maternity leave, worker injury, and family allowances.

Four percent of the total budget is directed toward healthcare. Of total GDP (Gross Domestic Product), the government expends 6.4 percent on healthcare, allotting $570 (international dollars) per capita. The government provides 75.9 percent of all health expenditures, and 4.9 percent of that amount is earmarked for social security. The private sector furnishes 26.6 percent of total health spending, and 80.50 percent of that amount is derived from out-of-pocket expenses. There are 4.55 physicians, 11.63 nurses, 0.52 midwives, 0.44 dentists, and 0.29 pharmacists per 1,000 population in Belarus.

Among the 10,293,011 people of Belarus, life expectancy is 69.08 years. There is a wide gap between male (63.47 years) and female (74.98) life expectancy. Literacy is virtually universal at 98.6 percent. Approximately 94 percent of Belarusian children attend primary school. Ninety percent of males and 92 percent of females in the relevant age group attend secondary school. Safe drinking water and improved sanitation are available to the entire population. Half of all Belarusian women use birth control; on the average, women give birth to 1.43 children each. Skilled attendants are present at all births, and all Belarusian women receive antenatal care. The adjusted maternal mortality rate is 35 deaths per 100,000 live births.

Belarus has an infant mortality rate of 13 deaths per 1,000 live births. Between 1990 and 2004, infant mortality was reduced from 13 to nine deaths per 1,000 live births. At the same time, under-5 mortality fell from 17 to 11 deaths per 1,000 live births. Five percent of all infants are underweight at birth. The government subsidizes all required infant vaccinations, and 99 percent of infants have been immunized against tuberculosis, diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus (DPT1 and DPT3), polio, measles, and hepatitis B.

...