Over 8.7 thousand healthcare workers in the Vitebsk region have received bonuses for working during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Over 8.7 thousand healthcare workers in the Vitebsk region have received bonuses for working during the COVID-19 pandemic. How much did they increase the salaries of medical professionals, and who is eligible?

Over 8.7 thousand healthcare workers in the Vitebsk region have received bonuses for working during the COVID-19 pandemic. How much did they increase the salaries of medical professionals, and who is eligible?

The COVID-19 situation has shown that our medical professionals are ready to mobilise, swap white coats for protective suits, and go into battle against the coronavirus, reclaiming the lives of their patients, working at the limit of their capabilities, and putting their personal lives and interests on the back burner. It is important that both the public and the state recognise and highly value this selfless work. Financially supporting today's heroes is the aim of Presidential Decree No. 131 of the Republic of Belarus "On Financial Incentives for Healthcare Workers" dated April 16, 2020. The Department of Health provided details on who is eligible for the additional payments stipulated by the new decree, how they are calculated, and how the work of medical professionals is currently valued.

– Monthly bonuses are provided under the decree to specialist doctors, mid-level healthcare professionals, and other healthcare workers who provide outpatient, inpatient, epidemiological, resuscitation, and emergency medical care under a closed three-shift system, as well as those working in conditions related to infections, explains Viktoria Klemparskaya, Head of the Planning and Economic Sector of the Main Department of Health of the Regional Executive Committee. – Payment is calculated for the time actually worked. In particular, for constant contact with infected patients, it is paid for all hours worked, including work on a part-time basis and beyond the established working hours. For occasional contact, including consultations with patients with infectious diseases, payment is made for the working day (working shift) according to the timesheet. The list of structural units and positions eligible for the bonus is determined within each organisation by a special commission.