Press Release, 19.05.2020

https://www.facebook.com/andrey.avtoneev/videos/1656380081166417/?t=5

On 18 May, employees of the Ivanovo ambulance station with the support of the Ivanovo branch of Yabloko filed a complaint with the regional Investigative Department of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation, the Public Prosecutor’s Office and the Governor of the Ivanovo region. The appeal was signed by about 30 people. Drivers and paramedics of the ambulance station complain that only a few received the promised allowances for working with COVID-positive patients.

It should be noted that medical workers working with COVID-19 patients have the right to two additional payments (the federal and the regional). However, the federal decree puts paramedics and ambulance brigades out of the scope of those who contact with the patients, thus such medical workers can not get the federal allowance.

“As explained by the management of the ambulance station, we “do not work with patients with COVID-19” and are “not at risk”. At the same time, all ambulance employees have long-term contact with patients who subsequently are detected the infection. As a result, according to the regional order of the Governor, medical workers contacting with the [COVID-19] patients have received the due payment, however, according to the federal decree, they did not contact with [such] patients and have not received [due] payment,” the appeal runs.

The day before, the initiative group of the ambulance station turned to the Ivanovo branch of Yabloko with a similar complaint. According to the data from the payroll sheet of one of the ambulance first-class  drivers for April 2020, he was entitled to 26,250 roubles (approximately 328 Euro) after deduction of the personal income tax. And no additional payments for working with COVID patients, as promised by the Russian President, were made. The situation is similar for paramedics.

Andrei Avtoneyev, Chairman of the Ivanovo branch of Yabloko, said that the mechanism by which the payment is assigned is very hypocritical.

“Ambulance brigades go to all calls without exception. It is clear that at the stage of transportation of a patient it is impossible to diagnose him/her COVID-19. That is, doctors do not know whether they work with a COVID patient or not. Because even after a positive test, there is often no feedback from emergency doctors to ambulance brigades. And only later, on the basis of some patient registers, it is established which team carried this or that patient, and whether he had COVID-19 or not. Ambulance workers strongly disagree with such approach. They are sure that all ambulance brigades by default work in conditions of increased risk and quite rightly require additional payments [promised to them],” Andrei Avtoneyev noted.

The Ivanovo branch of Yabloko will closely monitor the appeal and seek that payments for Ivanovo ambulance workers are made.

It should be noted that the Yabloko party advocates a substantial increase in wages for all doctors and medical staff who are now participating in the fight against coronavirus (district general practitioners, doctors and paramedics at obstetric centres, emergency room doctors, resuscitation doctors, pulmonologists, infectious disease specialists, anesthetists as an additional payment of 100,000 roubles per month to the salary, and 50,000 roubles of additional payment to the paramedical staff and nurses).