Zmitsyer Pinyevich

Dmitry Leonidovich Pinevich (; born 17 October 1967) is a Belarusian doctor and politician. He served as the Minister of Health of the Republic of Belarus from 2020 to 2024. He is currently the Ambassador of Belarus to Azerbaijan.

Early life Pinevich was born on 17 October 1967 in Ilya, which was part of the Minsk region in the Byelorussian SSR at the time of his birth. His family mostly consisted of teachers. His mother, Anna Pinevich, was born in Lida district and eventually graduated from the Minsk State Linguistic University before also going to Ilyinsky Agrarian College to teach, where she met his father.

Medical career Afterward, from 1990 to 1992 he was the doctor for medical services of the military unit 78530 (642nd Guards Aviation Bratislava Red Banner Fighter-Bomber Regiment), which was stationed in Voznesensk, then part of the Ukrainian SSR. Upon the collapse of the Soviet Union, he did not want to take the citizenship of Ukraine, so he returned to Belarus. Briefly, from January 2002 to June 2002, he was Head of the Department for Control of health, Social Protection, Sports and Tourism of the Department Control in social sectors within the State Control Committee of the Republic of Belarus. On 15 April 2011, he was appointed First Deputy Minister of Health. During his time there, he noted that there was a shortage of medical personnel in Minsk, so he promised to raise salaries in 2008.

Political career Minister of Health On 24 August 2020, he was appointed Acting Health Minister, as the then Minister of Health, Vladimir Karanik, took up the post of Governor of Grodno Region, and Pinevich was his immediate successor as First Deputy. In September 2020, while acting minister, he stated the main problems of the ministry was that there were no economic incentives for healthcare, there was intensive work of medical personnel with low wages which led to turnover, and lag in the issues of informatization. He stated by 2023 he planned to revise the regulatory framework of healthcare, switch to the model of clinical-cost groups, build a unified information system, and to have a new system of accreditation.

During his time as minister, COVID-19 became a pandemic. In the fall of 2021, Pinevich implemented mandatory wearing of masks, social distancing in public places, mass vaccinations, and suspended the provision of planned medical care. In response, Lukashenko stated that it created panic throughout the country and that people in Brest were forced to get the vaccine, so the restrictive measures were soon lifted. He also faced criticism for underreporting the mortality rate of COVID, even though, according to The Lancet at the time of the epidemic, Belarus ranked seventh in mortality in the world from the virus. He also introduced Covid allowances to doctors, but the stimulation was stopped in July 2022. Medicine prices also sharply rose by 13.4% in 2023, but his ministry attempted to regulate dental services. He officially announced in January 2023 that the COVID-19 pandemic had ended in Belarus. In March 2023, he announced that in April the first prototype of a Belarusian vaccine against COVID-19 was expected. In April 2023 he then stated that the ministry would stop promoting foreign medical products, stating that it was a scheme for hidden bribery of doctors.

On 25 January 2024, Pinevich was dismissed from the post. He was replaced by Alexander Khodjaev. After his dismissal, he disappeared from public life and began supplying medical equipment. He officially presented his credentials to President Ilham Aliyev on 13 February.

Upon being appointed ambassador, Pinevich stated that the two countries were strategic partners as they were both key transit countries. He also stated in May 2025 that Belarus would organize cultural events in Azerbaijan and vice versa.

Controversies Pinevich has led the medical and anti-doping commission of the NOC of Belarus and the Belarus Red Cross on an interim basis during 2020. He faced allegations from human rights groups and the National Anti-Crisis Management that people involved in the Belarusian Red Cross were also involved in election commissions and that places where representatives of the organization were working had discrepancies in votes cast for Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya that resulted in a lower number of votes for her.

Honours and awards Order of Honor (21 December 2020; Belarus) Medal for Labor Merit (2009; Belarus) Certificate of Honor of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus (2008, 2015; Belarus)