On provision of health care to foreign citizens

Law of the Republic of Belarus as of June 18, 1993 “On Health Care”

Article 5. The right of foreign citizens and stateless persons to have access to affordable health care.

Foreign citizens and stateless persons permanently residing in the Republic of Belarus shall have the right to have access to affordable health care equal to the citizens of the Republic of Belarus, unless otherwise provided for by the legal acts of the Republic of Belarus and international agreements of the Republic of Belarus.

Foreign citizens and stateless persons temporarily staying or temporarily residing in the Republic of Belarus shall have the right to have access to affordable health care at their our expense, at the expense of legal entities or other legal means unless otherwise provided for by the legal acts of the Republic of Belarus and international agreements of the Republic of Belarus.

The Republic of Belarus made a range of international agreements on provision of emergency, urgent and planned health care

The Agreement on provision of health care to the citizens of the CIS member states made on March 27, 1997 in Moscow stipulates the procedure for the provision of health care to the citizens of the Republic of Armenia, Republic of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Republic of Moldova, Republic of Tajikistan, Republic of Uzbekistan, Ukraine (the list of the states-parties to the Agreement was updated by Letter No.18-37/14623 of the Ministry of Internal Affairs dated July 15, 2014.)

In particular, according to the Agreement any citizen staying in the Republic of Belarus, regardless of its legal status, shall be provided with

urgent or emergency care, if a sudden acute condition or disease threatens a patient’s life or other people’s health, in case of an accident, intoxication, injury, delivery or emergency conditions during pregnancy. Health care shall be provided immediately, free of charge and in full.

After eliminating a threat to a patient’s life or other people’s health and transporting a patient, health care shall be provided on a paid basis.

a citizen shall pay for planned health care in the country of temporary residence.

Pursuant to Article 7 of the Agreement on provision of health care to the citizens of the CIS member states, the employer shall pay for the provision of health care to the contractors. Health care shall be provided in accordance with the procedure and to the extent specified in the contract. Contractors may also pay for health care themselves.

In accordance with the above Letter of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Belarus, Georgia and Azerbaijan Republic are not included in the list of the states parties to the Agreement. The citizens of these states shall be provided with health care in accordance with Law of the Republic of Belarus as of June 18, 1993 “On Health Care”.

The Agreement on equal provision of urgent and emergency care to the citizens of the Republic of Belarus, Republic of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic and the Russian Federation as of November 24, 1998, is also in full force and effect.

The citizens of the Russian Federation shall be provided with health care in accordance with the Agreement on provision of health care to the citizens of the Republic of Belarus at health care institutions of the Russian Federation and the citizens of the Russian Federation at health care institutions of the Republic of Belarus made between the Government of the Republic of Belarus and the Government of the Russian Federation on January 24, 2006 in Saint-Petersburg.

In particula

Article 3. The citizens of the Republic of Belarus permanently residing in the Russian Federation shall have the rights equal to the rights of the citizens of the Russian Federation to be provided with health care, including free of charge treatment, at state and municipal health care institutions of the Russian Federation.

The citizens of the Russian Federation permanently residing in the Republic of Belarus shall have the rights equal to the rights of the citizens of the Republic of Belarus to be provided with health care, including free of charge treatment, at state and municipal health care institutions of the Russian Federation.

Article 4. The citizens of the Republic of Belarus who are the Heroes of the Soviet Union and the Cavaliers of the Order of Glory of three grades shall have the rights equal to the rights of the citizens of the Russian Federation to be provided with health care, including free of charge treatment, at state and municipal health care institutions of the Russian Federation.

The citizens of the Russian Federation who are the Heroes of the Soviet Union and the Cavaliers of the Order of Glory of three grades shall have the rights equal to the rights of the citizens of the Russian Federation to be provided with health care, including free of charge treatment, at state and municipal health care institutions of the Republic of Belarus.

Article 5. The citizens of the Republic of Belarus temporarily staying or temporarily residing in the Russian Federation shall have the rights equal to the rights of the citizens of the Russian Federation to be provided with emergency care and health care if they have a disease threatening the health of other people during their stay in the Russian Federation.

The citizens of the Russian Federation temporarily staying or temporarily residing in the Republic of Belarus shall have the rights equal to the rights of the citizens of the Republic of Belarus to be provided with emergency care and health care if they have a disease threatening the health of other people during their stay in the Russian Federation.

Article 6. The citizens of the Republic of Belarus temporarily staying or temporarily residing in the Russian Federation and working on a contract basis at the institutions (companies) of the Russian Federation shall have the rights equal to the rights of the citizens of the Russian Federation working at these institutions (companies) to be provided with health care at state and municipal health care institutions of the Russian Federation.

The citizens of the Russian Federation temporarily staying or temporarily residing in the Republic of Belarus and working on a contract basis at the institutions (companies) of the Republic of Belarus shall have the rights equal to the rights of the citizens of the Republic of Belarus working at these institutions (companies) to be provided with health care at state and municipal health care institutions of the Republic of Belarus.

Article 7. The citizens of the Republic of Belarus shall have the right to be provided with health care at state and municipal health care institutions of the Russian Federation at the expense of:

the federal budget of the Russian Federation;
the budgets of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation;
the budgets of the municipal entities of the Russian Federation

where provided for in Article 3-6 of this Agreement;

the compulsory medical insurance as stipulated by the laws of the Russian Federation;
their own expense or using any other legal source of funds.

The citizens of the Russian Federation shall have the right to be provided with health care at state health care institutions of the Republic of Belarus at the expense of:

the republican and local budgets of the Republic of Belarus where provided for in Article 3-6 of this Agreement;
the voluntary medical insurance;
at their own expense or using any other legal source of funds.

On June 30 2014, the Memorandum of Cooperation in health care, medical (pharmaceutical) science, education and provision of health care to the citizens of the Republic of Belarus and Turkmenistan came into force. The Memorandum was signed between the Government of the Republic of Belarus and the Government of Turkmenistan on November 5, 2013 in Ashgabat.

Article 3 of the Memorandum specifies that the citizens of the state of one Party to the Memorandum shall be provided with urgent and emergency care (service) free of charge in the territory of the state of the other Party to the Memorandum.

The Agreement on cooperation in health care and medical science as of April 16, 2002 made between the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Belarus and the Ministry of Health of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam specifies that the citizens of Vietnam, temporarily or permanently staying in the Republic of Belarus shall be provided with urgent or emergency care so that to prevent severe complications and enable them to safely return to their home state. Urgent and emergency care shall be paid for in accordance with the laws of the Republic of Belarus. Special planned health care shall be provided by either of the Parties to the Agreement to the citizens of the other Party to the Agreement on a paid basis in accordance with the applicable rates.

The Agreement on cooperation in health care and medical science as of December 9, 2003 made between the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Belarus and the Ministry of Health of the Syrian Arab Republic specifies that the citizens of Syria, staying in the Republic of Belarus, shall be provided with health care in accordance with medical insurance policies. If citizens of Syria have no medical insurance, they shall pay for health care themselves.

According to Letter No. 18-19/15974 as of July 7, 2015 by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus, the Agreement on cooperation in medical science and health care made between the Government of the Union of the Soviet Socialistic Republic and the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland on February 17, 1975 in Moscow was terminated on December 25, 2015. Since the date of termination of the Agreement the citizens of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland shall be provided with health care in accordance with the applicable laws of the Republic of Belarus, in particular in accordance with Article 5 of Law of the Republic of Belarus “On Health Care” as of June 18, 1993.

On July 1, 2014, Presidential Decree “On introduction of amendments and supplements to the Presidential Decrees on insurance activities” dated April 14, 2014 came into force. This Presidential Decree changes the procedure and terms of obtaining the voluntary medical insurance by foreign citizens and stateless persons, temporarily staying or temporarily residing in the Republic of Belarus.

According to Clause 236 of the Provision on insurance activities in the Republic of Belarus approved by Presidential Decree No.165 as of August 25, 2006 (hereinafter referred to as the Provision on insurance activities), the foreign citizens temporarily staying or temporarily residing in the Republic of Belarus (hereinafter referred to as foreign citizens) shall have a contract of compulsory medical insurance or a contract of medical insurance made between a foreign citizen and a foreign insurance company with a view to getting urgent or emergency care at health care institutions of the Republic of Belarus (hereinafter referred to as a contract of medical insurance). The list of persons who shall not be subject to compulsory medical insurance is specified in Clause 237 of the Provision on insurance activities.