Which categories of Ukrainian doctors in the front-line territories received a salary increase?

In May 2023, the government announced an increase in salaries for medics working in the combat zone or frontline territories.

The corresponding decree of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine from 12.05.2023 ¹ 482 provides that from May 17 in certain communities in Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, Zaporozhye, Lugansk, Mykolayiv, Sumy, Kharkiv, Kherson and Chernihiv regions doctors will receive from 23 to 28, nurses from 15.5 to 18 and junior staff from 8 to 9 thousand UAH.

However, the increase will not affect everyone, writes Sotsportal.

The Ministry of Health in the answer notes that the increase in salaries will not apply to interns and pharmacists-interns. In addition, it is provided only for "medical personnel for the fulfilled in full the monthly (hourly) norm of work, who directly provide specialized and emergency medical care and perform their duties in public and communal health institutions. the National Health Service".

This also cuts off the opportunity to get higher salaries for family doctors and hospice staff, says Vitalii Dudin, labour law lawyer and head of the Social Movement public association.

First, the increase in salaries will not apply to medics who provide primary or palliative care. Despite the promises, officials have been promising to increase salaries to junior medical staff and in practice not everyone is involved in providing specialized or emergency medical care. Nurses and nurse practitioners, for example, do not perform such duties. Secondly, implementation of the innovations will depend to some extent on the discretion of managers. The guarantee of a minimum wage applies only to the respective territories defined by the Ministry of Reintegration. In addition, according to sub-paragraph 5 of Paragraph 1 of Resolution No. 28, the hospital must approve the list of workers who will actually provide specialised and emergency care. It is in the interest of health care providers to control the latter, at least on a local level," the lawyer points out.

Also, the salary may be proportionally reduced in case of non-fulfillment of working hours or the establishment of part-time work.

It is also possible that in the frontline zones employers will resort to suspension of the employment contract justifying the impossibility to provide work because of the armed aggression against Ukraine (Article 13 of the Law of Ukraine "On the organization of labor relations under martial law&rdquo)", - the lawyer says.

At the same time he emphasized that the legislation allows appealing against the orders of part-time work or suspension of the employment contract which were issued at the employer's initiative.

The movement of Ukrainian nurses "Be like Nina" promises to control the fulfillment of promises of the Ministry of Health.

There are fears that many nurses, who actually save people in extremely difficult conditions, will not feel the improvement of their well-being. We urge colleagues to monitor the process of approving the lists of those who will receive top rewards. We promise to respond in principle to any attempts by directors to set subordinates on part-time work or encourage them to take unpaid leave," said Oksana Slobodjana, head of the Be Like Nina medical movement.