Svaboda talked with

Alexander Trofimov

about how much money is needed to travel to another country, the current mood among Belarusian doctors, and also what faith in God gives to a person who has lost his home, job and homeland.

Alexander Trofimov with his family

Search, arrest, loss of office

Alexander is 38 years old.

Studied as a therapist in Hrodna.

Disbursed to the Baranovichi "emergency room" by doctors of the field brigade.

In recent years, until the fall of 2021, he was the deputy head of the station, but he went on calls part-time.

He keeps a blog where he tells stories from his lifeguard practice.

Elena's wife worked as a tutor for a child with autism.

The Trofimov family has three children of their own - 12, 10 and 5 years old.

Aleksandar began to be interested in the social and political situation since he was a student.

He used to go to work in the "hutka" in a T-shirt with Pogonaya.

Since 2020, the family has decided to speak Belarusian every Thursday.

The security forces came to the doctor twice.

The first time in the summer of 2021 with a search (suspected of insulting a policeman).

It is not known how that criminal case ended.

The second time he was taken away for three days in July 2022 allegedly for "spreading extremism".

Nothing was found and they were released without a report.

During the interrogation, the security forces did not like Trofimov's photo with the inscription "0‰" in support of

Artyom Sorokin

(the doctor who gave the journalists information about

Ramon Bandarenka's condition.

— RS).

Alexander Trofimov

In 2021, Trofimov resigned because he understood that his contract would not be extended due to his political position.

He got a job as a gastroenterologist at the Baranovitsky Polyclinic and at the same time relearned his specialty at courses.

"Trofimov, be careful.

You are already being watched"

- Are there many "goosebumps" among medics after the covid period?

- Less than 10% support the government on "fast", we knew them by name.

When it was necessary to send 4 people to the pro-government rally, we did not find anyone.

Most of the polyclinics do not support the system either.

There is no order in healthcare.

People see that nothing has been done for years.

As was the case with covid: "We don't have covid", and the people who were affected collected funds for PPE.

- One gets the impression that there are honest doctors who save people's lives, and bad managers, through whom the medical system is in a bad state.

Or is it so?

- Partly so.

The first phrase I was told when I took over was to be tougher with the team.

It defines the entire vertical.

They can't do it any other way.

This is passed down from supervisor to supervisor.

I wanted to show the team that it is possible to manage differently.

It is not necessary to shout at colleagues, humiliate them, poke at their mistakes, publicly reprimand them.

Doctor Alexander Trofimov

- Did you manage to be respected and not feared?

- I was told that I had a greater influence on the team than the manager.

Different managers came to me to talk, because they were afraid that I would lead the collective to a strike or to rallies.

In 2020, covid happened.

We didn't have PPE.

I stepped over my pride and asked for money from the entrepreneurs of the city.

We set up the sewing of overalls, the supply of masks.

I wrote to all platforms: ByCovid19, Hackerspace and even Symbal.by sent us help.

Kindergartens and schools helped us.

We had as many PPEs as anyone in Baranovichi had.

At another meeting I was warned: "Trofimov, be careful.

You are already being watched.

You go to Instagram with every mask and thank everyone."

We held out well in the first wave.

None of our employees died.

We didn't have such a collapse that everyone got sick at the same time.

At the beginning, we let all pensioners and pregnant women go on vacation, and asked the newlyweds to leave.

I burned out a lot during this period and went on a long vacation.

When he returned, he felt a very warm welcome.

When I got to the "daycare", they decided how to help me, even though I had not worked there for a year.

"There's constant pressure: 'You're all stupid!'

- The process of dismissal of doctors does not stop.

Perhaps soon there will be no one to treat people, because the professionals are leaving.

How true is that?

- That's true.

Doctors with experience, who are competitive, leave.

I know many cases when they left after 40 years.

Artificial narrow specialists have left, it is not possible to prepare it so quickly.

They bring experience with them.

They could teach the young.

— If you worked in the Ministry of Health, what things would you change first?

- It is necessary to change the whole system to the root.

First, doctors should be motivated to stay in Belarus.

They need to improve their financial situation.

If it is not possible to give good wages, we can improve working conditions: reduce the workload, provide good drugs, equipment, uniforms on the "fast".

Secondly, it is necessary to increase the prestige of the medical profession.

The attitude of people towards doctors is not very good.

The management is more ready to punish the doctor than to stand up for him.

The doctor should feel protected, because even the best doctor can make a mistake, many work one and a half or two shifts, always under stress.

Why don't they want to walk for five minutes?

Because there is constant pressure: "You are all stupid!"

How many times have we heard the words of humiliation, blackmail, depression, ridicule.

Thirdly, it is necessary to make continuity in work.

We wanted to improve the transfer of information from the "ambulance" to the hospital and polyclinic, so that there would be a single data base: how many patients were delivered, how many died per day, to create electronic medical records.

An electronic database would make the process easier for everyone.

We received a refusal, they say, there may be a leak of information.

We are used to doing it the old way.

Alexander Trofimov

- How big a problem for doctors are their salaries?

- Many began to say: I'd rather do nails or eyebrows or cut hair, but I won't have such a responsibility as treating people.

Even on the simplest call, a person can be allergic to a pill, and doctors can be attacked.

Doctors are not paid for hours worked, but for responsibility.

When people see that they get a pittance for their responsibility, that they are forced to work half-time, they burn out.

- Do you know anything about the probable mobilization of doctors in Belarus?

- I did not notice that medics were called more often than others.

I did not know the medics who were summoned and given a specific task, where and when to appear in the event of the declaration of martial law.

- What do you know about the treatment of Russian soldiers in Belarus?

- None of the colleagues shared the information that they had Russian soldiers.

No one here wanted to talk about this topic, just like with covid.

One of the reasons for the move is to help Ukrainians

At the end of last year, the Trofimovs decided to leave.

The reasons are political and economic.

Due to the dismissal from the post, the last year turned out to be difficult financially.

"I'm tired of living paycheck to paycheck.

We had no savings.

To go to Poland, we borrowed money," says Alexander.

He earned 800-1200 rubles at the clinic, his wife - about 500 rubles.

When Trofimov was a deputy in the "hutka" and worked part-time for 0.5 of the rate by going out - he had 2,200-2,300 rubles a month.

The family was worried that they might come again.

They helped large families of police prisoners.

Last year, they hosted families of Ukrainian refugees.

Later they found out that the security forces come to such volunteers.

In addition, the doctor was afraid that he would be sent to the war with Ukraine, and he basically does not want to take up arms, because he is a Christian.

- How much money do you need to go to Poland?

- We borrowed 3 thousand dollars.

They calculated payment for housing for 2 months in advance.

A lot was spent on documents back in Belarus.

— How easy is it for a Belarusian doctor with 12 years of experience to find a job in Poland?

- I was going nowhere.

We didn't have a specific city or job.

Friends found us a Christian shelter for Ukrainian refugees near Warsaw, where we could live for free for 1-2 months.

Acquaintances helped to find contacts of Polish hospitals.

Some demanded that you immediately know the Polish language.

When we arrive, we cannot immediately work as doctors.

It is necessary either to confirm the diploma, or to apply for permission to the Minister of Health, but it will be enough only for 5 years.

You have to wait about six months for both options.

One of the first hospitals that agreed to take me without knowing the Polish language is located in Slupsk.

There I will work as a physician's assistant until I complete my diploma.

I will be helping out in the intensive care unit at the SOR, which is a waiting room like a hospital within a hospital.

Serious patients with injuries, strokes, heart attacks, and comas lie in the intensive care unit for some time.

Alexander Trofimov

- What surprised you the most in the Polish system of medicine?

- On a shift, for example, two paramedics and a doctor.

A difficult patient arrives - and then five people came from somewhere and began to help.

Someone was walking by, an ambulance arrived, they connected from there, someone is resuscitating, something needs to be given, held.

They are quickly involved when emergency help is needed.

And they are better equipped technically.

All diagnostics are done very quickly.

CT scans, x-rays, blood tests are done in minutes, not hours.

Paramedics have better skills than the average Belarusian medical staff, they do things that only doctors do in Belarus.

Poland has an electronic database, which is more convenient than paper documentation, as in Belarus.

The relationship between colleagues is different there, unlike in Belarus: "I'm a doctor, you're nobody here", "I'm an intensivist, and what about you, therapists?".

No, it's a good working relationship.

"If I confirm with a diploma, I will not return to Belarus"

- Is there a bad attitude towards you as a Belarusian?

- I did not directly see aggression.

I get involved in work, I don't stand aside.

The school warns: if your children are treated badly, say that they are from the aggressor country, say so immediately.

I got acquainted with a volunteer organization that works with refugees.

They also asked to immediately declare about hunting.

- Is the salary of a doctor's assistant enough to support a family of five?

- We will spend most of our salary on housing.

We count on the "500+" allowance allocated to children (more than $100 per child per month. — RS).

A miracle happened, it was confirmed to us in a day, some wait for months.

The wife is not looking for a job yet, she will help the children with their studies.

I think it will be difficult.

I hope modestly, but we will continue.

- What advice would you give to Belarusians who decide to move?

- The most difficult thing for us is the language barrier.

Therefore, if you know that you will leave in a month or two, start learning the spoken language.

Adaptation here is very individual.

Someone misses, I don't miss the country.

Yes, I left my home, everything I had, the job I loved.

I worked for a long time in my name in Baranavichy.

I could solve any question without a position.

But I'm tired of the stressful environment in recent years.

It was difficult to help political prisoners.

What did we do wrong when we helped Ukrainians?

You can go to jail for doing good - I don't understand that at all.

That's why I'm not sad.

I realized that my family is enough for me.

Now we have to start from scratch.

- You do not plan to return to Belarus?

- If I pass the most difficult stage in my life and get a diploma, I will not return to Belarus.

All doctors understand this.

No matter how patriots we are, you understand why you work here.

If the regime changes, I will come to visit.

Most people will not return, unfortunately.

- You are a believer of the Protestant church.

How does the fact that you believe in God practically affect your life?

- I look at everything through the prism of my beliefs, faith, the Bible.

I try to be guided by them.

These are not only commandments, but also hope that no matter what happens, God will come to help.

We never had such a day that we sat without food, without shelter.

We did not live richly, but we had everything we needed.

My grandfather, grandmother, mother are believers.

I saw their life.

They helped people, did good.

I try to live according to God's word.

It gives me strength.

We understand why we live.

I find meaning in helping other people.

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