Lukashenko appoints new healthcare minister

Prior to this appointment, Aleksandr Khodzhayev headed the National Mental Health Research and Treatment Center, and before that worked in the Main Public Health Directorate of the Healthcare Ministry.

“I want to make it clear to people and to you that the new appointment does not mean the dismissal of Pinevich [Dmitry Pinevich, who until now led the Healthcare Ministry]. I just see him in a different role. He will work in a different position. He is a young, energetic person. Therefore, no one is going to let him go, figuratively speaking," the head of state said when appointing the new minister.

Aleksandr Lukashenko emphasized that personnel rotation in the run-up to important election campaigns is an established practice in the country: “Naturally, the whole thing did not begin with you. There is personnel rotation going on in all ministries and government agencies. There is nothing new here. In the run-up to parliamentary and presidential elections we have always refreshed the composition of the government and local authorities, oblast executive committees, the Minsk City Council. We did that so that voters could see who we would work with as they would be casting their ballot, they should know whether they would be able to trust this team. I have been doing this for a long time. This time is no exception.”