Many are concerned that doctors’ salaries have dropped significantly since the introduction of the universal health insurance system. Doctors complain that last month they received 18,000, 19,000, 23,000, 30,000 drams, and other unjustifiably low salaries.
Despite the wave of protests, Anahit Avanesyan stated today: “As a result of today’s monitoring, I can confirm that if any medical worker has doubts or comments regarding their salary, this is a local issue that I am ready to discuss individually. Dear medical workers, together, working together over the past two months, we have achieved that today’s feedback from both clinics and medical centers is that if there was no salary increase, then it remained within the previous limits.”
After publishing the video, the minister characterized the doctors’ outrage as follows: “After the failure of certain political circles, the media associated with them have become more active, now hinting at some kind of terror. This is ridiculous and absurd.”
Regarding medical workers’ salaries, the ministry stated: “Full salaries will be paid by March 15. After that, if any complaints arise, we will ask medical workers to contact us without hesitation regarding their individual cases, as the minister is ready to review each case and discuss it with their employer and the medical center’s management.”
In a conversation with one doctor, we tried to understand the problems medical workers are facing and whether they hope that full salaries have not yet been paid.
“Today, in almost all medical centers, particularly public ones, medical workers are intimidated, not allowed to speak out, and told: ‘Come to an agreement; if you don’t want to, write a resignation and leave.'” The Minister of Health claims he has nothing to do with these repressive mechanisms, that he did not order the dismissal of protesting doctors, and that he did not instruct directors to silence doctors at any cost. If the minister says anything like that, I promise to, so to speak, reveal the names of all directors, bring them to light, but let the minister publicly state he has nothing to do with these repressive mechanisms, that the deputy minister or anyone on his staff is not calling medical centers and saying, “Silence this or that medical worker,” Grigoryan said.
According to the doctor, workers were placed on soft pillows and promised full wage compensation by March 15.
“The Chairman of the Health and Social Affairs Committee stated in an interview that doctors will receive their January salaries in March, which is already a violation of the Labor Code. “What does it mean that they’ll receive their January pay in March, which is already a violation of the Labor Code? They’re trying to push their own project, I assure you, I’ll reveal all of this, and everyone will see it. A person should receive their salary by the 15th of each month, and this is specified in almost all contracts. It doesn’t specify that the person will receive their monthly salary in two months,” the doctor said.