Statement by the Social Democratic Faction of the Yabloko Party, 5.10.2020

We support the All-Russian campaign of medical workers “Pay for COVID!”, who demand full and timely payment of incentive and insurance premiums to healthcare workers for their labour in the conditions of the coronavirus infection.

Dozenss of thousands of medical and support personnel have been unfairly deprived of these payments, and payments for dozens of thousands medical workers have been significantly and unduly reduced.

Back in March 2020, the Yabloko Party proposed the measures, included in our programme for overcoming the crisis “To Protect the Economy and People. On Urgent Measures to Support Citizens and Entrepreneurs”, such as to “significantly increase the salaries of all physicians who were involved in the fight against coronavirus (district physicians, doctors and paramedics of medical and obstetrical stations, emergency room doctors, resuscitationists, pulmonologists, infectious diseases specialists and anesthesiologists in the amount of 100,000 roubles per month in addition to their salary, and 50,000 roubles for nurses)”.

We are pleased that our proposal was implemented, albeit in a truncated form. However, from the very beginning, there have been coming complaints about the incomplete payment or even the refusal to make these additional payments, even to the families of healthcare workers who died from COVID.

Boris Vishnevsky, Deputy Chairman of the Party and deputy of the Legislative Assembly of St. Petersburg, our deputies in other regions are doing a lot to help healthcare workers to restore justice.

We stand in solidarity with the healthcare workers, and express them our gratitude and support for the fact that, risking their health and their lives, they save our lives and our health!

Anatoly Golov, Co-Chairman of the Social Democratic Faction of the Yabloko party

Boris Misnik, Coordinator of the Federal Political Committee of the Yabloko Party