Alexander Khodjaev

Alexander Valeryevich Khodjaev
Алякса́ндр Вале́р’евіч Хаджа́еў
Александр Валерьевич Ходжаев
Minister of Health of the Republic of Belarus
Incumbent
Assumed office
25 January 2024
PresidentAlexander Lukashenko
Prime MinisterRoman Golovchenko
Alexander Turchin
Preceded byDmitry Pinevich
Personal details
Born1980
Lyepyel, Vitebsk region, Byelorussian SSR, Soviet Union
EducationBelarusian State Medical University
Belarusian Medical Academy of Postgraduate Education
OccupationPsychiatrist
Politician

Alexander Valeryevich Khodjaev (also transliterated as Aleksandr Khodjaev; Belarusian: Алякса́ндр Вале́р’евіч Хаджа́еў; born in 1980) is a Belarusian psychiatrist and politician. He is the incumbent Minister of Health of the Republic of Belarus.

Born in Lyepyel to a career physician and later First Deputy Minister of Health Valery Khodjaev, Alexander eventually graduated from the Belarusian State Medical University and worked as a pathologist. He then went to the Belarusian Medical Academy of Postgraduate Education from 2008 to 2011, where he changed career paths to become a psychiatrist. Afterward, he worked in the department of psychotherapy there until in 2018 when he started working in the Ministry of Health. In May 2021, he became the director of the Republican Scientific and Practical Center for Mental Health, and then in January 2024 was appointed Minister of Health to succeed Dmitry Pinevich. Since then, he has taken steps to combat the shortage of doctors in Belarus and to reduce reliance on foreign manufacturers of medicine while advocating for closer ties to the Ministry of Health of Russia after the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Early life

Khodjaev was born in 1980 in Lyepyel, then part of the Vitebsk region in the Byelorussian SSR.[1] His father, Valery Khodjaev, worked as the chief physician of the Lepel district hospital and at the health department of the regional executive committee of Lepel.[2] He then worked as the general director of Belmedtechnika before becoming, in 2010, the First Deputy Minister of Health, although he formally retired from the position and became general director of Pskov Pharma.[3][2] In 2004, he graduated from the Belarusian State Medical University, and afterward worked as a trainee doctor at the Republican Scientific and Practical Center of Oncology and Medical Radiology named after N.N. Alexandrov.[4] From 2005 to 2008, he was a pathologist at the center after completing his training.[4]

From 2008 to 2011 he completed his postgraduate education in psychiatry at the Belarusian Medical Academy of Postgraduate Education while working at the 6th City Clinical Hospital in Minsk.[2][5] He also obtained the specialties of medical and preventive care, psychotherapy, and health care organization there.[5] His dissertation was on the topic of the psychotherapy of pregnant women during childbirth, which took two attempts to successfully defend. After graduating, he worked as the leading laboratory assistant at the Department of Psychotherapy and Medical Psychology at the medical academy for a year.[5] From 2012 to 2015 he worked as an assistant at the same department, then from 2015 to 2018 was an associate professor of the department at the academy.[5]

From 2018 to 2020 he was Chief Specialist of the Department of Medical Care Organization of the Main Department of Medical Care, Expertise, Appeals of Citizens and Legal Entities of the Ministry of Health.[5] Afterward, from 2020 to 2021, he was the Chief Specialist of the Department of Specialized Medical Care of the Main Directorate of the Organization of Medical Care of the Ministry of Health, which also him the chief narcologist.[5][6] In May 2021 he was appointed director of the Republican Scientific and Practical Center for Mental Health, which he held until his appointment to the post of Minister of Health.[7] Around the same time he also became the chief freelance psychiatrist of the Ministry of Health.[8] During his time there, he criticized the Western psychiatric treatment model where patients decide if they want medical service, and instead advocated for the state to immediately intervene.[9]

Political career

Minister of Health

On 25 January 2024, he was appointed Minister of Health of Belarus, succeeding Dmitry Pinevich.[5]

A major issue in 2024 was the shortage of doctors in Belarus, which had been a problem during Pinevich's tenure.[10] To alleviate this, Khodjaev announced the cancellation of the reconfirmation of qualification categories for medical workers at retirement age in June 2024.[10] In February 2025, Khodjaev announced there was a positive trend in personnel, stating that his ministry, in addition to the aforementioned tactic, streamlined vacancies and admission campaigns for medical universities.[11] Independent medical organizations like ByMedSol and the Medical Solidarity Fund, however, reported the number of personnel remained about the same.[11]

He also began to look outward to replace foreign manufacturers of medicine following the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine and subsequent sanctions, importing from manufacturers in Armenia, Russia, India, China, and Bangladesh.[12] In September 2024 he signed a memorandum of cooperation with the Ministry of Health of Russia in the field of disaster medicine and also aimed at conducting joint educational and training events.[13]

Personal life

He is married to Alla Khodjaeva, a lawyer who works at ExportMegaTrans, a cargo transportation company.[14] They live in the town of Lesnoy near Minsk.[2]

References

  1. ^ "Об итогах недели Президента - Слава працы | Копыль Online". Kopyl Online (in Russian). 29 January 2024. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
  2. ^ a b c d "Что известно о новом министре здравоохранения Александре Ходжаеве?". Наша Ніва (in Russian). 25 January 2024. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
  3. ^ "Лукашенко дал согласие на назначение первых замминистров культуры, по налогам и сборам, здравоохранения, транспорта и коммуникаций". belta.by (in Russian). 8 June 2010. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
  4. ^ a b "Кадровые ротации, искоренение клановости и медицина на селе. Лукашенко назначил нового министра здравоохранения". Maladzechanskaya Gazeta. 25 January 2024. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g "Кадровые ротации, искоренение клановости и медицина на селе. Лукашенко назначил нового министра здравоохранения". belta.by (in Russian). 25 January 2024. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
  6. ^ ""Ничего хорошего на посту министра от него ждать не стоит"". Charter97 (in Russian). 25 January 2024. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
  7. ^ "В Беларуси назначен новый глава Минздрава – что о нем известно". Tochka. 25 January 2024. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
  8. ^ "Медианорма". medianorma.by (in Russian). Retrieved 6 June 2025.
  9. ^ "Пришёл из "Новинок". Чем известен новый глава Минздрава Ходжаев | Новости Беларуси | euroradio.fm". Euro Radio (in Russian). 25 January 2024. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
  10. ^ a b "Нехватка врачей нарастает. Чиновники придумали, как подлатать проблему". Зеркало (in Russian). 21 June 2024. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
  11. ^ a b "Глава Минздрава заявил, что в Беларуси стало работать больше врачей — независимые данные по-прежнему говорят о дефиците кадров". Зеркало (in Russian). 28 February 2025. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
  12. ^ "В Минздраве рассказали о проблемах с лекарствами из-за санкций. Посмотрели, кто в основном поставлял их раньше". Зеркало (in Russian). 14 June 2024. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
  13. ^ Gospodarik, Pavel (23 September 2024). "The Russian and Belarusian Ministries of Health have agreed to cooperate in the field of disaster medicine". Bel Novosti. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
  14. ^ "Лукашенко потребовал искоренить династии и кланы из Минздрава — и назначил министра из такой династии. Вот что о нем известно". Зеркало (in Russian). 25 January 2024. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
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