MOSCOW, July 23. /TASS/. Stimulating financial bonuses for medical professionals, who want to move to work in the Arctic, housing and infrastructures are solutions to satisfy the Arctic zone’s demand for qualified specialists, experts told TASS.
Earlier, Deputy Prime Minister and the president’s envoy to the Far Eastern Federal District Yuri Trutnev asked the Healthcare Ministry to draft federal compensation for doctors and medical assistants, who come to work in the Arctic zone. The compensation could be between 1.5 and 3 million rubles ($21,000 and $42,000).
Not just money
Most medical professionals, who say they want to come to work in Chukotka, are people with big experience, Chukotka’s head of the healthcare department, Tuyana Baneyeva, told TASS. Though in Chukotka there are 63 medical professionals per 10,000 people (the requirement is 69 per 10,000), the region still lacks specialists in certain directions. Officials say just money is not sufficient, as regions should be able to offer housing.
"It is not just money, what matters is developed infrastructures. Available kindergartens, schools, infrastructures for the youth. First of all, territories should follow a complex approach to development, which should be supported by the federal budget. A few years ago, we surveyed students why they do not want to work in villages. We expected they would say - low wages and so forth. Nothing of the kind. The first position took the problem of professional isolation - a doctor has no one around to address for help, with whom to discuss treatments," the Arkhangelsk Medical University’s Rector Lubov Gorbatova said.
While professional isolation could be settled by telemedicine, the comfortable living infrastructures are almost impossible without federal investments, she continued. "The second position [in the survey results] was taken by infrastructures. The graduates are young people, they need to communicate, to meet, to find a spouse. Not every village has youth centers or clubs. Our distances are colossal, and communication and the Internet connection often leave much to be desired," the rector of Russia’s only Arctic medical university said.
The healthcare department in the Yamalo-Nenets Region pointed to a shortage of skilled doctors in narrow directions. "Financial support is extremely important, but there are reasons, which stop medical professionals from coming: the complicated climate conditions, problems with transport, and big distances to the mainland," experts said.
Regional experience
To some regions, medical professionals come under federal programs, which offer certain incentives - Country Doctor and Country Medical Assistant, where doctors are paid 1 million rubles ($14,000) and must remain working there for a few years. Besides, regions offer own benefits for medics, like bonuses of 500,000 ($7,000) for doctors and 150,000 ($2,000) for medical assistants in the Krasnoyarsk Region, as well as reimbursed accommodation expenses.
Children’s doctor Antonina Kurochkina moved to Norilsk from Bashkiria a year ago. "Such programs make changing places much easier. Everything, promised in the program, has been fulfilled: they have reimbursed my expenses for coming here and for bringing the luggage, I was given accommodation, bonuses, and I have the wage we had agreed," she said, adding she is satisfied with the new place of work.
In May, Yugra’s government decided to double one-time bonuses for doctors and medical assistants, who will work in villages, thus hoping another 130 doctors will agree to work there. Chukotka also has increased the payments, Tuyana Baneyeva said, adding the region hoped to welcome another 20 medical professionals before the year ended.
In 2018, the Murmansk Region began the Arctic Doctor program, under which the benefits are payable to medical professionals coming to work in the Arctic zone.
"Under the program they receive 2 million rubles ($28,000): 500,000 rubles ($7,000) in the first and second years, and one million after the fifth year of work. At the same time, a doctor may participate additionally in other programs, like, for example, to take a mortgage to buy own housing. In this case, the regional budget compensates for 50% of the initial payment - for a family of four it may be 2 million rubles ($28,000)," the Murmansk Region’s official Nataliya Kolesnikova told TASS. Over 2018-2019, Murmansk, Severomorsk and Apatity welcomed 32 doctors.
To come and stay
Anyway, regional measures of support are quite effective in attracting qualified specialists. A radiologist in Surgut Andrei Deinichenko and his wife have moved to the region from sunny Volgograd. "We came here under the Country Doctor program, signed papers for five years. Now is 18 months to go, but my wife and I plan to stay here. She is a GP, and I am a radiologist. Each of us has been paid 1 million rubles ($14,000). We’ve used the money to buy a flat. We have never regretted we have come here," he said.
The doctor says, wages and conditions for doctors are better in the North. Besides, making career is easier at a small medical institution. "In the Surgut District we began working as medical assistants, and later on have been working as doctors. Now I run a department. I like working in the town, as at a small institution you know patients better, and they know us better," the doctor said.