On Wednesday, the Council of Ministers, chaired by Army General Raúl Castro Ruz, passed, in special session, the wage raise that will benefit more than 440,000 workers in the Cuban health system.
Granma newspaper highlighted that the new measure will contribute to the stability and quality of medical services to the population and to meet international commitments. The increases will start from June 1st this year, which will correspond to the work done in May.
According to Granma, Marino Murillo Jorge , head of the Commission for Implementation and Development of the Guidelines, explained that with this measure they are advancing in the implementation of several of the guidelines approved by the Sixth Congress of the Communist Party of Cuba -154 , 160 and 171 – , referred to critical issues as the care of the health personnel, training of specialists in order to meet the needs of the country and increase wages gradually, aiming this in an early stage at activities with more efficient results and the work of those workers who provide economic benefits and social impact.
By addressing at the meeting the implementation policy of wage raises, Murillo noted that the wages of workers in this sector will increase substantially, with doctors, dentists and nurses benefiting the most.
For management positions, monthly salary shall be established by the complexity and responsibility entrusted and they will eliminate the additional payment for this reason that today they receive.
Also, the government will end the diversity of other additional payments that are made for different concepts right now. They will just keep, he stressed, the current ones related to teaching assignments, for special working conditions and years of work for nurses, service workers and operators.
As an important aspect, Murillo stated that the payment is doubled for working night shifts for doctors, dentists, nurses, technicians and other workers.
Regarding medical collaboration he specified that those who work on medical missions abroad will keep their position and salary in Cuba. Also they will increase the stipends, salaries or payments in CUC, as appropriate, in order to gradually decrease the differences in that sense there are today.
As for the training of new professionals he reported that in the next five years the number of students of Medicine and Dentistry will continue to increase, providing the capabilities to achieve the necessary enrolment without affecting the quality of the teaching process.
He also said that in 2014 the plan of revenues on the export of health services amounts to more than 8.2 billion dollars, representing 64% of total sales service (including donations and Tourism and Health).
Similarly he recalled that as a result of the reorganization carried out during the period 2010-2013 in the field of Health, 109 thousand workers and about 2 billion dollars of the budget expenditures were reduced without affecting the quality of services provided, a fact that has allowed support this wage increase.
