Translated material
Doctors' salaries are being sought
For the third month now, Russian doctors have had the unique opportunity to take part in an exciting detective reality show codenamed “Where is the money, Zin?” We're talking about salaries, of course. More precisely, about where the money went, so generously promised by the Ministry of Health to increase doctors’ salaries.
Back in March, the Minister of Health promised that every case of delay or reduction in salaries for doctors would be brought under control . TFOMS (territorial compulsory health insurance funds) were identified as the main culprit. However, we did not see any changes (upward) in April salary receipts.
Without waiting for what the minister promised and outraged by the reduction in wages and the lack of transparency in the calculation of incentive payments, Izhevsk pediatricians began an Italian strike . The example turned out to be contagious - actions in support of striking doctors were held in many cities across the country, including Moscow. Apparently, fearing the growth of protest sentiments just before the report to the President, the minister “turned the arrow” from the mysterious TFOMS to the very real and more understandable culprits for the people - chief doctors. Somehow it suddenly became clear that a good half of the funds allocated for salaries ends up in the pockets of the heads of medical institutions and their associates, without reaching ordinary doctors. Wanting to be known as a guardian of the interests of a simple worker with a stethoscope and a scalpel, the minister took a hitherto unprecedented step - she invited all doctors to personally send her salary slips (anonymously!!!) indicating their place of work. In each case, the minister promised to personally investigate and punish the head doctors who were embezzlers. Salary data should have been publicly available on the Ministry of Health website.
However, by the promised date, no data appeared on the Ministry of Health website. Either the doctors turned out to be so critical and did not believe the generously distributed promises. Either the truth turned out to be so unpleasant that they were in no hurry to make it public. The Ministry of Health announced data on salaries with a two-week delay. And what turned out to be? It is in vain that doctors complain about their miserable existence. It turns out that the average salary of a doctor in the country is as much as 34 thousand rubles (for a Ministry of Health official it is, however, 3 times more, but that’s not what we’re talking about). Only now the doctors (who are irresponsible after all) began sending receipts to journalists instead of the Ministry of Health. And it was then that the truth about real (and not mythical national averages) was revealed.
I am a pediatrician. I get 9,000 rubles. I serve two areas.
I am the head of the clinic. With 30 years of work experience, northern allowances and part-time work at 1.5 times the rate, I get 28 thousand.
I am a cardiologist with 40 years of experience. My salary is 5300 rubles.
Doesn't look very much like official reports, does it?
Meanwhile, the story of the search for salary money continues. The other day, the minister, in an interview with the Rossiya-1 TV channel, said: “ I think that these balances (of money) are, as it were, in the accounts. They are not stolen, but frozen.”
Why, one might ask, is it necessary to freeze money that, in theory, should have been paid to doctors long ago? Who benefits from this? Or maybe this money has been “rolling around” for a long time not in “seemingly”, but in very real accounts? And someone will receive a considerable profit, many times higher than the amount allocated to doctors?
Who should understand such a complicated detective plot? Maybe it’s time to invite the auditors of the Accounts Chamber to act as Sherlock Holmes?