Protesting medics meet with officials of Minsk City Executive Committee

A commission has been set up at the health committee of Minsk Executive Committee to consider the demands of the ambulance in Minsk, put forward in an appeal to the government.

The commission was established as a result of a meeting of the ambulance medics with the administration of the Health Committee. The meeting was attended by the Deputy Health Minister Dzmitry Pinevich.

A leader of the protest campaign Vital Aheyenka said that the authorities expressed the wish to continue the dialogue and promised to answer the appeal within a ten-day period. Mr. Aheyenka also stressed that medics weren't a part of the political opposition and would remain politically neutral.

Bear in mind that workers of Minsk ambulance service protest against poor working conditions and low wages. On December 25, 2013 they started collecting signatures under a petition to the government. They also created an online petition on the website change.org, which was supported by more than 5000 people.

However, on January 7 the online collection of signatures was stopped, and on January 8 petition was removed. The circumstances of its removal were not disclosed, but Vital Aheyenka told "Nasha Niva" journalists that "on-line petitions have no legal force" and "the protesters will work in a different key".