Altai Territory may experience ambulance delays

Regions of Russia, including the Altai Territory, may face record ambulance delays if paramedics are not included in the categories of medical workers who are entitled to increased special payments. Some legislators and paramedics themselves think so. The latter also claim that their ranks are increasingly thinning.

Appeals full of indignation and even despair covered a third of the country. For a month now, ambulance paramedics have been trying to defend their right to increased social benefits. This spring, by government decree, they were introduced for health workers in small towns and villages.

The monthly increase averaged from 30 to 50 thousand rubles. However, not for everyone. According to government decree No. 343 of March 20, 2024, payments of 30 thousand rubles are not provided for emergency medical workers.

“The government, by its resolution, simply excluded the ambulance service from the category of medical workers who were entitled to payments. Has the ambulance ceased to be primary care, is our work less important,” the doctors are indignant.

32 regions, 66 collective appeals to different authorities and a single online petition. At the beginning of the month, 18 thousand people signed it, today the figure has already reached 27 thousand. The problem began to be discussed in legislative assemblies of different regions and State Duma deputies were puzzled by it. Many of them sent requests to the government of the country.

“I know that at the moment, in pursuance of this appeal, Mishustin has given instructions to Deputy Prime Minister Golikova to work on this issue together with the Ministry of Health. I talked with colleagues from our region, from our Ministry of Health. They, like all territories, were invited to the federal ministry in order to hear the situation,” said State Duma deputy Daniil Bessarabov.

At the public reception of deputy Alexander Terentyev, they added that the government of the country had collected data to analyze the situation. There should be an answer regarding paramedics by May. Meanwhile, requests began to arrive from medical workers of other specialties.

“Since April 15, the public reception room of Alexander Terentyev began to receive complaints from TB specialists. Phthisiologists and a number of other specialties: narcology, psychiatry, are not included in the compulsory medical insurance program. These workers were also bypassed by a special resolution. There is indignation,” noted Oksana Molodykh, head of the public reception of Alexandra Terentyeva.

There is now not only a split in the ranks of doctors, as experts say, but a clear imbalance in salaries. Often specialists of the same level, but with more experience, receive several times less. As for the ambulance service, they are eagerly awaiting the decision of the government of the country.

“In order for us to earn these 35-40 thousand rubles, we need to work at two rates, that is, we live, one might say, at work: every other day, every other day, so many go to work. So that management understands how people can work so hard that they can live at work and receive such a salary?!” emphasized Valery Chernenko, an emergency doctor in the Talmensky district.

Paramedics say that in a number of regions their colleagues are already moving to work in first-aid posts. There special payments are now increased. Someone is forced to go on shifts. According to doctors, there is a feeling that there will soon be nothing left of the ambulance service. And this is fraught with record delays in calls.