Putin proposed increasing payments to health workers in small towns and villages from March

Russian President Vladimir Putin, speaking at a plenary session of the Future Technologies forum, proposed increasing the amount of payments to medical workers in small towns and villages from March 1. The maximum additional payment will be 50 thousand rubles, the minimum – 13 thousand rubles.

“Last year, we introduced monthly payments for primary care health workers. I propose, from March 1 of this year, to increase their size for specialists who work in small towns, regional centers and villages, while special attention needs to be paid to supporting doctors in the most popular areas, as well as employees of district and local hospitals,” said Vladimir Putin.

According to the president, in cities where from 50 thousand to 100 thousand people live, doctors will receive an additional 29 thousand rubles, nursing staff – 13 thousand rubles. In settlements where less than 50 thousand people live, monthly payments for doctors will be 50 thousand rubles, for mid-level medical workers – 30 thousand rubles.

“It is clear that implementing such decisions will require time to prepare the regulatory framework. I ask the government to complete this work in a short time, so that from April 1, medical workers begin to receive increased payments for March,” the president emphasized.

In addition, from April 1, regional authorities must increase the salary of medical workers to 50%, while maintaining additional payments, Vladimir Putin indicated. “We always say that the fixed part must be provided unconditionally, but these additional payments are also important, but medical workers are interested, of course, in ensuring that the main part, the salary, is higher,” said Vladimir Putin and added that the government should make similar decisions regarding doctors working in the compulsory health insurance system.

Additional payments for healthcare workers were introduced at the end of 2022. Depending on the position and place of work, doctors are paid extra from 4.5 thousand to 18.5 thousand rubles. monthly. In total, the payments affected about 1 million medical workers. Budget expenditures on special payments in 2023 were estimated at 152.4 billion rubles.

At the end of last year, the Ministry of Health proposed adjusting the rules for calculating special payments. According to the draft prepared by the department, public hospitals and clinics where recipients of additional payments work will not be able to reduce other incentive payments financed from territorial compulsory medical insurance funds.

Read more in the Kommersant article. “Doctors’ salaries are protected from decline”.