Sore Subject: Doctors In Lithuania Earn 3,5 Times More Compared To Belarus

Moreover, doctors in Lithuania are expecting the salary rise since July 1, while the Belarusian health professionals get forced to decline financial bonuses on the official basis.

On May 19, Lithuania’s PM Algirdas Butkevičius announced the salary rise for health professionals since July 1. According to the Prime Minister, about EUR 30 million will be allocated from the reserve of the Obligatory Health Insurance Fund for rising of wages this year.

"The salary of a residential medical officer, I would like to underline, will grow approximately by EUR 100 in average, the salary of a residential medical attendant – approximately by EUR 50. As a result of the salary growth, in my opinion, we will not only improve the financial state of health professionals, but also decrease corruption in the health care system", delfi.lt quotes the PM.

According to the information provided by the Lithuanian government, in December 2015, an average salary of doctors amounted to EUR 1061, the salary of medical attendants – EUR 735.

Even the official average salary of Belarusian doctors looks pitiful at the background of such data. Health Care Minister Vasil Zharko has told about the Belarusian average wages of doctors today. According to him, a monthly wage of a doctor who works 1,39 rates makes Br 9 million, and the salary of medical attendants who work 1,26 rates – Br 4,6 million per month.

Charter97.org has calculated that doctors earn USD 334 in the equivalent, while other health professionals earn USD 228. And this, we underline, is the official statistics data.

We see, the Lithuanian health professionals earn 3,5 times more in comparison with their Belarusian colleagues now, and the gap will grow after their salary rise. In addition to that, Belarusian doctors, who get forced to decline bonuses in the written form in the conditions of the current economical situation, can hardly count on even tiny bonuses to their salaries.