NVSC Chief: We faced a particularly hostile reaction from the public

As Petraitis said, he explained that people were hostile to the NVSC.

“First of all, I would like to inform you that NVSC specialists are currently facing a particularly hostile reaction from the public, which arose after a negative evaluation by politicians. (…) The NVSC staff, the volunteers who help them, call the people who have contracted the coronavirus and are very hostile towards them, ”said Petraitis.

He said that people do not even want to provide professionals with the necessary information, they receive hostility.

“If people do not follow the instructions of the NVSC, do not answer their questions, there will be a very serious threat to the handling of the pandemic,” he said.

“The fact that there is currently a public denigration of the institution is lowering the motivation of specialists. So I urge politicians to be careful in their words when evaluating our activities, ”said the NVSC director.

He is not going to retire

NVSC Director R. Petraitis said he did not intend to withdraw yet.

“I am waiting for the deficiencies of the institution to be identified. Then I will assess the shortcomings and make a decision. I really do not renounce responsibility, I am responsible for the organization of the activities of the institution, if necessary, I will assume responsibility ”, he explained.

The head of the center stated that the employees are highly unmotivated by the statements that the activities of the center are not necessary.

“We have conducted a study of emotional evaluation of employees, we will address the issue of generating motivation with specialists. But such public statements that our work is not necessary when all international organizations say that it was a justified measure to combat the pandemic … These statements are very demotivating, “Petraitis said at a remote press conference.

The head of the NVSC also named his salary “in his hands” – 2,500 euros.

When asked why the criticism had started now, Petraitis explained that it was an attempt to divert attention.

“When the situation does not improve, the search for blame begins. I think it’s kind of a focus on another object, “he explained.

NVSC director R. Petraitis explained that it does not really cover its staff, asking not to criticize the activities of the center.

“It just came to our attention then. Please send that criticism orally or in writing, I will accept it, I will take all necessary steps to correct the criticism. But when criticism is made in public it hurts NVSC employees a lot, they take it very personally , they complain about the situation ”, he explained.

The evaluation will be delivered on January 7

Delphi recalls that the Minister of Health Arūnas Dulkys asked the Center to explain in writing the discrepancies in the statistics of deaths from coronavirus. The answers have already been received by the ministry, which must evaluate them before January 7.

At a news conference Sunday, Petraitis said the discrepancies and unaccounted deaths, which totaled around 1,200, were due to information provided by patients and not the fault of the NVSC.

Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė reacted more strictly to the activities of the center: she said that the NVSC leadership must take responsibility.

Speaking to reporters at Seimas on Tuesday, the Prime Minister reiterated that the organization of work is the responsibility of the director of the institution.

“The fact that the director of a relatively large institution, when the focus of the institution’s activities shifted from pandemic management to routine hygiene control, was unable to reorganize work so that those resources could be more reliable, and the institution does not seem to depend on volunteers and other helpers, in my opinion this says a lot about the manager, ”said I. Šimonytė.

It was also announced on Tuesday that the deputy director of the NVSC, Giedrius Nariūnas, responsible for epidemiological investigations of the coronavirus, is resigning.

Mr. Petraitis explained that he had not yet spoken with his deputy, so he could not name the reasons for his resignation.