Medical trade unions do not agree with the proposal to increase the salaries of health professionals which was presented to them by the Health Ministry, Medical Trade Union Association chief Peter Visolajsky said on Thursday. He added that it does not solve the problem of the lack of doctors systemically. According to trade unionists, the doctor's salary should also depend on the number of years worked. The proposal was allegedly submitted by the Health Ministry at the sectoral tripartite earlier this week. "It's important to state that the published proposal was not discussed with us as representatives of doctors, and during the presentation at the tripartite we informed the Health Ministry that we didn't agree with it," said Visolajsky.
He noted that there is a lack of experienced doctors in Slovakia because after certification exams they have no motivation to stay in hospitals. "After completing their education (certification exam at about the age of 30), their salary no longer increases and doesn't change until retirement. This is how we lose the most experienced and most effective doctors," he said. Medical Trade Union therefore considers it to be important to introduce salary differentiation according to the number of years worked. He also pointed out the fact that in countries such as the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Austria, doctors' experience is taken into account in their years of work.
Source: TASR
