Terminal Illness & End-of-Life Planning in Belarus: 5-Step Official Checklist

1. 1

   Coordinate Palliative Care, Home Nursing, and Health Coverage

   • Public palliative and hospice care: Under the Law of the Republic of Belarus on Healthcare, citizens and permanent residents are entitled to state-funded medical and palliative care through territorial polyclinics, oncology dispensaries, and specialized palliative care departments or hospices supervised by the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Belarus [1].
   • Home nursing and pain-management registration: Request a referral from the attending physician or medical-advisory commission (VKK) at the local polyclinic to register the ill person with the mobile palliative care team or patronage nursing service, which coordinates symptom control and outpatient analgesic prescriptions under standards set by the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Belarus [1].
   • Social home-care services: Where daily personal care and domestic assistance are required, apply to the local Territorial Centre for Social Services of the Population (TCSON) operating under the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection of the Republic of Belarus for state-subsidized social worker visits or day-care nursing support [2].
2. 2

   Record Medical Consent Preferences and Healthcare Information Access

   • Informed consent and treatment refusals: Under Articles 44 and 45 of the Law of the Republic of Belarus on Healthcare, a patient with full legal capacity has the right to give informed consent to or refuse medical interventions, and to have those preferences documented directly in their official medical chart at the healthcare institution supervised by the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Belarus [1].
   • Designating persons authorized to receive medical information: Because Belarusian healthcare legislation restricts disclosure of confidential medical data (vrachebnaya taina), the ill person should sign a written authorization in their clinical file at the polyclinic or hospital naming the specific family members or representatives who may receive diagnoses, prognosis updates, and medical extracts during treatment [1].
   • Clinical decision-making if capacity is lost: If the patient later becomes unable to express their wishes due to critical illness and has no appointed legal guardian, urgent treatment decisions are made by a medical consilium (vrachebny konsilium) or the attending physician at the facility under the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Belarus, making early written documentation of treatment preferences essential [1].
3. 3

   Execute Notarial Powers of Attorney and Bank Mandates

   • Notarized general or special power of attorney (doverennost): While your family member retains full mental and legal capacity, arrange to execute a notarized power of attorney before a notary of the Belarusian Notary Chamber (regulated by the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Belarus) authorizing a trusted representative to manage real estate, represent the person before state agencies, and handle legal or administrative filings [3] [4].
   • Bedside or hospital notarization: If the ill person cannot travel to a notary office due to mobility limitations or hospitalization, any notary of the Belarusian Notary Chamber can be requested to conduct an off-site visit (vyezd notariusa) to the person's home, hospital ward, or hospice to verify capacity and notarially certify powers of attorney [4]. Where the person is hospitalized and a notary cannot attend immediately, powers of attorney for receiving pensions or correspondence may also be certified by the chief physician of the inpatient facility under the Civil Code [1] [4].
   • Banking and pension collection mandates: Execute specific powers of attorney or in-branch bank mandates for managing current accounts and deposits, and ensure any power of attorney intended for collecting state pensions or social benefits complies with the verification rules of the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection of the Republic of Belarus and the Social Protection Fund of the Republic of Belarus [2] [4] [5].
4. 4

   Activate Disability Classification, Benefits, and Caregiver Support

   • Referral to the Medical and Rehabilitation Expert Commission (MREK): Ask the attending polyclinic physician and medical-advisory commission (VKK) to prepare a referral to the regional Medical and Rehabilitation Expert Commission (MREK) under the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Belarus to establish an official disability group (Group I, II, or III) and an Individual Rehabilitation and Habilitation Programme (IPRA) providing free or subsidized technical care aids and medications [1].
   • Disability pension (pensiya po invalidnosti): Once Group I, II, or III disability is certified by MREK, file an application with the local department of labour, employment, and social protection under the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection of the Republic of Belarus and the Social Protection Fund of the Republic of Belarus to activate a state disability pension and statutory Group I care supplements [2] [5].
   • Caregiver allowance (posobie po ukhodu za invalidom I gruppy): A family member or caregiver of working age who is not employed, not registered as an individual entrepreneur, and not receiving a pension may apply to the local social protection authority under the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection of the Republic of Belarus for the monthly state allowance for caring for a Group I disabled person or a person aged 80 or older requiring constant care [2] [5].
5. 5

   Organize the Will, Civil Status Records, and Property Documents

   • Drafting and certifying a will (zaveshchanie): Under the Civil Code of the Republic of Belarus, a will must be executed in writing and certified by a notary of the Belarusian Notary Chamber (or, in inpatient hospital settings, by the chief physician or duty physician for subsequent transmission to the notary archives under the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Belarus) while the testator has full legal capacity [3] [4] [6].
   • Accounting for statutory compulsory shares (obyazatelnaya dolya): When structuring a will with a notary of the Belarusian Notary Chamber, review Article 1064 of the Civil Code, under which minor children or disabled/pension-age children, spouses, and parents of the testator remain entitled to a mandatory share of at least half of what they would receive under intestate succession regardless of the will's terms [4] [6].
   • Consolidating civil registry and cross-border documents: Gather originals of passports, birth and marriage certificates, and real estate registration certificates, and if powers of attorney or civil status documents must be used outside Belarus, obtain a Hague Apostille through the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Belarus or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs [3] [4] [6].

Official Authorities & Verified Contacts

Official Sources Checked by Clarvia

1. [1]
   Official Portal of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Belarus — Ministry of Health of the Republic of Belarus
2. [2]
   Official Portal of the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection of the Republic of Belarus — Ministry of Labour and Social Protection of the Republic of Belarus
3. [3]
   Department on Notary and Registry Offices — Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Belarus
4. [4]
   General Rules and Procedure for Wills and Inheritance — Belarusian Notary Chamber
5. [5]
   Social Protection Fund of the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection — Social Protection Fund of the Republic of Belarus
6. [6]
   Opening of Inheritance and Testamentary Rules in Belarus — Belarusian Notary Chamber