Lukashenko denies swine flu

The Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko has described the growing international concern about the swine flu as "provocation by the pharmaceuticals", who hope to thus boost their profits. This is just a diversionary manoeuvre, the liberal daily Sme concludes: "You can understand Lukashenko's position: If the country is so strapped for cash that it can't even meet the basic health requirements of its own population, there is no choice but to negate the problem or at least try to divert attention from it. And then present your helplessness as a virtue. This is reminiscent of the argumentation of the health minister of former Romanian communist dictator [Nicolae] Ceauşescu. He once told the population with a straight face that there was no meat available in shops because meat was unhealthy and the government wanted to protect people this way."

» full article (external link, Slovak)
More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Health and Medicine, » Corporations, » Romania
All available articles from » Peter Morvay

» To the complete press review of Friday, November 6, 2009