BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 2. The increase in salaries for doctors of various specialties, introduced on September 1 at the initiative of First Vice President Mehriban Aliyeva and upon the instruction of President Ilham Aliyev, is another important step toward improving the compulsory health insurance system, which has been developing steadily for years, and enhancing the social welfare of healthcare workers, member of the Azerbaijani Parliament’s Health Committee, MP Soltan Mammadov told Trend.
According to Mammadov, the increases will contribute to the development of the compulsory health insurance system and help address a number of existing challenges in the sector by strengthening outpatient and primary healthcare services and emergency medical care, as well as introducing incentives to tackle the shortage of medical professionals in the regions.
The MP welcomed the comprehensive nature of the wage reform, which will cover 72,212 healthcare workers.
“The reforms cover a range of areas, including selected medical specialties, the quality of work performed, improvements to certain healthcare services and working conditions for doctors in the regions, as well as measures to attract qualified doctors to the regions. In line with the reforms, the annual payroll budget across the TABIB system has been increased by 189 million manat (around $111 million),” Mammadov said.
“Salary increases of 60, 70 and even up to 100% for certain doctors, particularly pediatric anesthesiologists and intensivists, neonatologists and hemodialysis specialists working in the regions, will help improve the quality of these services and provide additional incentives for doctors. At the same time, in regions facing shortages of doctors, excluding Baku, Absheron, Sumgayit and Ganja, a 1.3 coefficient will be applied to additional performance-based payments for surgical care, inpatient therapeutic care, physiotherapy and rehabilitation, anesthesia and interventional radiology services. This will help improve access to healthcare services,” the MP said.
Furthermore, Mammadov noted that the reforms will include corresponding salary increases for doctors working in emergency medical services. For example, doctors at the Republican Center for Emergency and Urgent Medical Care and emergency departments of medical centers are expected to receive a 61% salary increase.
The MP emphasized that the reforms also cover primary care physicians working in outpatient services, as well as head nurses and other mid-level and junior medical staff at several healthcare facilities. Monthly salaries for 36,041 mid-level healthcare workers will increase by 17%, while salaries for 20,367 junior healthcare workers will rise by 18%.
Mammadov added that the initiatives and decisions of President Ilham Aliyev and First Vice President Mehriban Aliyeva provide significant support for the development of the healthcare sector and complement the healthcare policies pursued by TABIB and the Ministry of Health, as well as the targeted reforms being implemented in the sector.
