Over 20,000 healthcare workers of East Kazakhstan region received wage supplement since March combating COVID-19

Since March, healthcare workers involved in the fight against the COVID-19 have been receiving higher wages.

Let’s note that the amount of supplement payment depends on the category of the risk group. The first category of the Very High-Risk Group includes doctors, middle and junior health workers of infectious diseases hospitals, intensive care units and other hospitals designated to provide medical care to patients with the coronavirus. For them, the amount of the premium is determined up to KZT850,000.

The High-Risk Group includes doctors, health workers and junior health workers of provisional hospitals, doctors and health workers of emergency medical care, including those at outpatient clinics, doctors and health workers of medical aviation, if they are involved. This category of workers receives additional payments up to KZT425,000. 

The Medium-Risk Group includes doctors, health workers and junior health workers of quarantine hospitals, drivers of ambulances, laboratory specialists, employees of the sanitary-epidemiological service, employees of the emergency departments of emergency hospitals and primary health care organizations determined to receive patients with acute respiratory disease, pneumonia and collection of biological material, health workers providing quarantine at checkpoints. For this category, the supplement payment is determined up to KZT212,500. 

At the same time, the amount of supplement is not fixed and depends on the number of hours spent with infected patients or with contacts.

According to the East Kazakhstan branch of Social Health Insurance Fund, contracts have been signed with 41 medical organizations in the region. Thus, for the entire period of the fight against the coronavirus, from March to August, more than KZT4.5 billion was paid to three categories of healthcare workers of the region.

In the first risk group, which includes infectious diseases hospitals, 3,667 healthcare workers received supplement payment in the amount of over KZT1.6 billion.

In the second risk group, 9,229 healthcare workers received additional payments in the amount of more than KZT2 billion.

KZT855 million was paid to the third risk group, which included 10,868 healthcare workers.

Note that the decision on the appointment of additional payments to wages is made by the Regional Commission chaired by the deputy akim of the region. The commission also includes representatives of Healthcare Administration, Department for Quality Control and Safety of Goods and Services, non-governmental organizations and trade unions.