Romania's president promises bonuses to those treating Covid-19 patients

Romania’s president Klaus Iohannis said on Thursday, April 2, that he asked the Government to identify European funds in order to pay a monthly bonus to doctors and medical staff working with Covid-19 infected patients.

“I think that EUR 500 per month for doctors and medical staff working with Covid-19 patients would make a decent bonus,” president Klaus Iohannis said, according to Digi24.ro.

He announced the measure after a wave of resignations in several hospitals across the country. Dozens of doctors and nurses took steps to leave their jobs, accusing the lack of protective equipment and poor management that has left them exposed to Covid-19 infections.

About 15% of the confirmed Covid-19 cases in Romania are health workers.

“The Government promised me [that they will find the money], I have approached prime minister Ludovic Orban and the minister of European funds, and I was promises that, in a very short time, they will come up with very concrete solutions,” president Iohannis said in a video conference with the authorities in Suceava, where the manager of the county hospital (Vasile Rimbu) was fired on March 26 after most of the doctors got infected. The new management team resigned on April 1 and the local administration, which supervises the functioning of the hospital, had to appoint a military doctor as new manager.

EU funds minister Marcel Bolos announced on Thursday that the Government would approve in its next meeting an emergency ordinance to award bonuses to the medical personnel that treat Covid-19 patients.

(Photo source: Presidency.ro)