19 April, Minsk /Lilia Krapivina - BELTA/. The lists of socially significant goods and services in Belarus have been reduced and clarified. This was stated today to journalists by Igor Fomin, Director of the Price Policy Department of the Ministry of Economy, commenting on the Council of Ministers' Resolution No. 495, which approved the lists of socially significant goods and services, BELTA correspondent reports. As Igor Fomin noted, 14 commodity items remain on the list of socially significant goods, the prices of which are regulated by the Ministry of Economy. "This list has been significantly reduced compared to the previously effective one; regulation remains for the main types of goods: bread, meat, milk, flour, cereals, eggs, and a number of other goods," said the department director. Sugar, both bulk and packaged, has been included in the new list of socially significant goods, the prices of which are regulated. Prices for other types of sugar - pressed, lump, with added flavourings - will not be regulated. The prices for these types of sugar will be set by the manufacturer itself, taking into account market conditions. Changes have also been made to the lists of socially significant services. Services of children's health resorts have been included here. They will now be regulated to ensure the health improvement of children. The services of bathhouses have also been streamlined. In the new version, services of luxury bathhouses will not be regulated. The wording of a number of other types of services, in particular, ritual services, has also been clarified. The list of paid medical services has been reduced to 5 items. However, there is a guaranteed volume of paid medical services provided by state medical institutions. Paid medical services that the population voluntarily wishes to receive will be regulated. These include dental and diagnostic services, consultations with specialist doctors (excluding foreign ones), as well as preventive and mandatory medical examinations of citizens, and medical examinations. -0-

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