Belarusian specialists will help Equatorial Guinea to build a national healthcare system, Belarusian Healthcare Minister Dmitry Pinevich told the media in Malabo, Azernews reports, citing BelTA.

“Of course, we will pay close attention to their certain problems, including pediatrics. They lack a healthcare system as we see it, never mind public healthcare. We will offer elements to build such a system, from the primary level to hospitals that will provide high-level medical care. We will do it if not similar to ours, but at least using our models. It is clear that there are certain features here, including from mentality to territory. We should take care of the key points that will influence the state of health [of the population]. Our plan is comprehensive to cover virtually all the aspects,” the minister said.

In his words, the full deployment of strategic cooperation with Equatorial Guinea may take some three to five years. Belarus aims to solve all the tasks comprehensively and quickly.

“First of all, they need our specialists. There are a number of healthcare buildings that have been built and commissioned. They however do not function as there are no professional medical personnel, including specialists who can maintain this medical complex. We are ready to help them and are working on these issues,” the healthcare minister said.

He also mentioned the importance of personnel training. On the one hand, Belarus can help organize training in medical schools and faculties in Equatorial Guinea. However, the initial stage primarily envisages training in Belarus: “We first invite them to study at our universities, as the standards of our medical education are quite high. It is impossible to copy them here [in Equatorial Guinea]. The main training base will be in Belarus. Then we will certainly lend a shoulder here.”

Another point is that the treatment process in Equatorial Guinea will be organized according to Belarusian medical protocols and with the use of Belarusian medicines and medical devices. “Our Guinean colleagues want us to extend the supply of medicines and medical products to Equatorial Guinea and, possibly, to the Central African region. This is, of course, a complicated issue, given logistics. We have worked this issue over with a company that specializes in deliveries. In the future we are planning a hub for the supply of medicines to Central Africa in general. At least, we have such a task to implement, and we are working on it,” Dmitry Pinevich said.

Equatorial Guinea is ready to finance these activities, and this work will be carried out mainly on a reimbursable basis to ensure an element of mutually beneficial cooperation.

Belarus has also provided grants to Guinean students to study at the country's medical universities. The healthcare ministries have agreed to organize retraining of medical workers from Equatorial Guinea in Belarus.

At the talks with his counterpart Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo in Malabo, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko praised the rapid development of cooperation in healthcare. Belarusian specialists have started training personnel in hospitals in Equatorial Guinea. “We have already started and are further ready to transfer experience and knowledge in the management of hospital complexes, organization of primary medical care for your population, personnel training, and pharmaceuticals. I am convinced that you will be impressed by the results,” the resident said.