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.
