The Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) will submit a proposal for amendments to the Law on Salaries in the Public Sector for parliamentary procedure today, with the aim of increasing the salaries of middle-level medical staff - nurses and technicians, announced the party's MP Jevto Eraković.
He said at a press conference that the proposed changes apply to nurses and technicians with high school, college, and specializations, or master's degrees.
According to Eraković, this staff has been severely discriminated against in their previous salary ranges.
"We call on all parliamentary groups to support this initiative of ours, we believe that this is an initiative that represents an investment in the future of the healthcare system of Montenegro," said Eraković.
The healthcare system, he assessed, is in a severe crisis.
"We see how long the waiting lists are, how long the wait for procedures is. In the field of vaccination, Montenegro is currently ranked 137th in the world, along with Guatemala, Nepal, countries where the health system is at its lowest," added Eraković.
He said that the DPS proposal refers to increasing the coefficients from 9,37, as it was until now for nurses with master's degrees, to 12,91.
"Average salary increases range from 165,77 euros to 315,24 euros," said Eraković.
He reminded that, according to current regulations, the starting salary for nurses with a high school diploma is 616 euros.
"Our proposals are to increase these salaries from 616 euros to 765 euros. That is an increase of about 25 percent, we think that this is the minimum that should not be exceeded," said Eraković.
He stated that negotiations are underway to change the sectoral collective agreement, but that they are not satisfied with the solution.
Eraković said that the DPS proposal implies that their salaries will increase proportionally with the education of these personnel.
"The starting salary of a nurse with a master's degree cannot be below 1.035 euros," Eraković pointed out.
He added that he believes there is no reason for the parliamentary majority not to support these legal solutions.
DPS MP Elvir Zvrko said that the European Commission reports for last year and this year warn that Montenegro is moderately prepared in Chapter 28 - Consumer and Public Health Protection, and that the biggest problems are the financial sustainability of the system and the lack of healthcare personnel.
"According to data from the Institute of Public Health, Montenegro today has around 3,6 thousand medical and around 250 obstetric nurses and midwives. That's only six nurses per thousand inhabitants, which is significantly below the European average," said Zvrko.
In Montenegro, he said, there is a shortage of at least 800 nurses today.
"This is not a statistic, this is the reality that citizens experience every day through waiting lists, overloaded hospitals and tired healthcare workers. Nurses are the pillar of the healthcare system, without their work there is no healthcare, no reforms and no patient safety," added Zvrko.
He said that, despite this, they have been underestimated, suppressed and placed on the margins of the decision-making and earnings system for years.
"The state no longer has the right to turn a blind eye. Investing in nurses is not an expense, but a basic condition for the health system to function at all," Zvrko pointed out.
As he emphasized, if dignified salaries are not provided, the state will continue to lose personnel.
"The proposed amendments to the Law on Salaries of Public Sector Employees, which we are putting into procedure today, has a clear goal - to correct long-standing injustice and discrimination against nurses, technicians and other healthcare workers," said Zvrko.
According to him, without a stable and motivated medical staff, there is no quality, reform, and safe healthcare.
"This is not the final solution to all problems in healthcare, this is the line below which the state must no longer go," added Zvrko.
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