CZECH REPUBLIC: Thousands of Czech doctors are leaving their hospitals due to unfair payment terms

Record ID: 776553

  • Title: CZECH REPUBLIC: Thousands of Czech doctors are leaving their hospitals due to unfair payment terms
  • Date: 22nd December 2010
  • Summary: PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC (DECEMBER 21, 2010) (REUTERS) EXTERIOR OF HEALTH MINISTRY BUILDING MAN ENTERING MINISTRY CZECH AND EUROPEAN UNION FLAGS IN FRONT OF BUILDING PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC (DECEMBER 20, 2010) (REUTERS) AMBULANCE CAR WITH SIGN READING "OUR EXODUS - YOUR EXITUS" DOCTORS HOLDING NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (Czech) ORGANISER AND CHAIRMAN OF "LOK" (DOCTORS TRADE UNION CLUB), MARTIN ENGEL, SAYING "We don't want money from state budgets, we just want the money, which is already in the health system. The system is underfinanced, but the money is there, the health insurance companies have about 14 billions Czech crowns (560 million euro)." COUNTDOWN SHOWING SECONDS TILL EXODUS (SOUNDBITE) (Czech) ORGANIZER AND CHAIRMAN OF "LOK" (DOCTORS TRADE UNION CLUB), MARTIN ENGEL, SAYING "They put the money, which should be used for financing doctors, in the pharmacy sector. Also health technologies used in hospitals are overpriced, they are the most expensive in the world." CLOSE OF CAMERAS AT NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (Czech) "LOK" ACTIVIST DOCTOR, PAVEL VAVRA, SAYING: "The leaving of doctors from our region will unfortunately have a catastrophic effect, because about 70 percent of them are leaving." (SOUNDBITE) (Czech) "LOK" SPOKESMAN, JIRI HRABOVSKY, SAYING "We still expect several hundreds of other doctors to leave and we are concerned that till Christmas we will break the number of 4,000 doctors leaving." CAMERAS COVERING NEWS CONFERENCE
  • Embargoed: 6th January 2011 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Czech Republic, Czech Republic
  • Country: Czech Republic
  • Topics: Employment,Domestic Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA6LCOU3VON34IZ62KHJFG5PLX7
  • Story Text: Thousands of doctors are leaving the Czech Republic in search of better payment terms. According to the doctors trade union called LOK more than 3,000 doctors already quit their hospital jobs and went abroad, especially to neighbouring countries Germany and Austria. The doctors criticise the long unpaid extra hours of work in Czech hospitals, which brings their hour-salary under that of a secretary.
    "We don't want money from state budgets, we just want the money, which is already in the health system. The system is underfinanced, but the money is there, the health insurance companies have about 14 billions Czech crowns (560 million Euro)", LOK chairman Martin Engel told reporters at a news conference on Monday (December 20). "They put the money, which should be used for financing doctors, in the pharmacy sector. Also health technologies used in hospitals are overpriced, they are the most expensive in the world."
    In protest of their working conditions the doctors union has started the campaign "Thank you, we are leaving." Doctor Pavel Vavra takes part in the action by driving an old ambulance car painted as a hearse and bearing the slogan "Our exodus - your exitus?" Vavra is from a hospital in the Moravia region, which faces serious problems due to the leaving of doctors.
    "The leaving of doctors from our region will unfortunately have a catastrophic effect, because about 70 percent of them are leaving", Vavra said.
    Czech doctors earn between 40,000 and 50,000 crowns (1,600- 2,000 euros) on average, however that includes long extra hours, in some cases even exceeding their regular assignment. That breaches the Labour code, which sets maximum extra work at eight hours, or one shift, a week.
    Nurses are paid around 14,000 crowns on average after they finish basic 4-year training and an experienced nurse gets up to 20,000 crowns, below the country average of 23,000 crowns.
    The 'Thank you, we are leaving' campaign is going to finish soon, but doctors are still leaving. "We still expect several hundreds of other doctors to leave and we are concerned that till Christmas we will break the number of 4,000 doctors leaving", LOK spokesman Jiri Hrabovsky said.
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