Aksana Antonchyk1; 1 European University at St. Petersburg, Russian Federation
Discussion
The paper looks into professional obstetric care within the medical institution in modern Belarus. The author uses framework of institutional logics to research how institutional organization of birth attendance results into certain modes of care being provided to patients. Specificities of modes of understanding institutional obstetric care are reconstructed through analysis of Soviet and post-Soviet contexts, providing insight into the background that might have affected the way modern Belarusian professionals see and perform it. Care is defined as combination of physical, emotional, mental and organizational work professionals do to ensure both physical and emotional well-being of their patients. Through a set of in-depth semi-structured interviews with medical professionals working in the state healthcare system and analysis of relevant official documents regulating institutional obstetric care the author reconstructs and analyses both professionals’ views on ‘good care’ and practices they rely on to ensure providing it. Additionally, given the political situation that has been unfolding in Belarus since May 2020 and made medical professionals one of the targets of political repressions, the paper attempts to provide some insight into how this might be affecting the ways professionals perform care and exercise their agency against institutional requirements and restrictions that state imposes on them.
