ZAGREB, Dec 3, 2020 – Health Minister Vili Beros said on Thursday the government was expected to adopt next week a decision on a salary bonus for the medical staff who were on the front line of the fight against the spread of the epidemic and were caring for COVID-19 patients.
“The medical staff on the front line are making an extreme contribution to the health of the Croatian nation. That must be adequately validated. The current budget revenues are not optimal but the government will find a possibility and a way to stimulate all who are on the front line,” Beros told the press.
Not all medical staff will get bonus
A decision is being drawn up to thank the medical staff who are treating COVID-19 patients, he said, adding that the government was likely to discuss the decision next week.
Not all medical staff will get the bonus as not all are in the same danger or doing the same jobs, Beros said, adding that the bonus was being carefully considered.
The president of the HLS doctors’ union, Renata Culinovic Caic, told Hina the union was pushing for all doctors getting the bonus as they were all exposed to infection and deteriorating work conditions.
“The union can’t be expected to say who to reward and who not to because they have all been working in deteriorating conditions for months. The government should assume the responsibility for deciding the bonus amount and who to give it to,” she said.
Other EU member states have realised that all medical staff should be rewarded and the bonuses there range from €700 to 1,000, she added.
“One should know that patients are not taken care of only in COVID wards and intensive care but are checked in in emergency wards and elsewhere as well. In doing so, one doesn’t know if they are positive, which often turns out to be the case, putting other healthcare workers in danger too.”
One should keep in mind that due to the reassignment of some doctors to COVID wards, other doctors are under an additional burden because they cover for those caring for all other patients, she said.
Large number of people in malls is an epidemiological risk
Beros told the press that restrictions in shopping malls could be tightened because the large number of people there posed an epidemiological risk.
“Every day we are talking about every element, including economic elements. However, our primary concern is the health of patients and the health of the nation,” he said.
