It is especially relevant in Russia. Especially when it comes to well-known and common professions. What is the current salary of a doctor? The answer to this question will be given in the article.
Earnings of doctors: how are things today?
Determining the exact figure for doctors' income is not so easy. In addition to the fact that you should take into account the region, place of work, specialty and level of qualifications, you should not forget about state decrees that constantly fix new minimums. However, the average indicator can still be identified. Thus, today the average income of a doctor in Russia is about 45 thousand rubles. The figure, it should be noted, is impressive. In addition, until quite recently (in 2014), a doctor could receive no more than 30-35 thousand rubles for his work. It's all about a special government program regulating the increase in the salaries of doctors to 90 thousand rubles by 2018.
Many doctors, seeing these data, may be slightly perplexed. After all, not every professional medical worker today receives even 40 thousand rubles. Of course, in the regions the income of doctors is much less than what is actually stated. Hospitals and various types of medical institutions may be underfunded, in poor or deteriorating condition. In addition, the amount presented above, which is due to doctors today, already includes various bonuses and allowances.
Earnings by specialization
As mentioned above, a doctor’s salary should not be considered in a general manner. It is necessary to take into account many different factors: from location to specialty.
It is the last factor that will be discussed. For 2016, the following list of main positions and corresponding salaries was compiled:
- cosmetologist - average income 85 thousand rubles;
- gynecologist - 90 thousand rubles;
- osteopath - 70 thousand rubles;
- resuscitator - 70 thousand rubles;
- MRI doctor - 70 thousand rubles;
- dentist - 50 thousand rubles;
- pediatrician - 50 thousand rubles.
The salary of a veterinarian today is about 50 thousand rubles; The salary of a general practitioner is 40 thousand rubles. However, it is worth distinguishing between work activities in private and budget clinics. So, already from the list above it becomes clear that the specialists who, as a rule, are approached by elite and wealthy clients receive the most: cosmetologist, dermatologist, etc.
USA and Russia: salary comparison
Before talking about possible increases and increases in the salaries of doctors in Russia, it is worth paying attention to the income of doctors in the USA. This is necessary, first of all, in order to have an idea of where our country should grow and in what direction. There is no point in denying the fact that the average salary in the Russian Federation is considered relatively low, especially in comparison with European countries and the USA. So how much do medical specialists in the states earn?
The minimum salary for a doctor in the United States is $8,000. Even for a novice specialist this is quite a large amount; all because a doctor abroad is considered an incredibly important and necessary employee. This is truly a necessary person for society. Average salaries in the states are the following:
- surgeon - 20 thousand dollars;
- psychologist - 17 thousand dollars;
- pediatrician - 16 thousand dollars;
- therapist - 15 thousand dollars.
A doctor is a very profitable and prestigious profession abroad. Doctors, both in the USA and in other developed countries, are very respected and cherished. This respect, first of all, is manifested in the financial component.
Should we expect an increase in income?
Will the average doctor's salary ever increase? How soon can healthcare workers see real gains? Answering all these questions is not so easy. However, today there are many comments from various officials and bills being prepared for adoption, according to which it will be possible to track the increase in wages.
The first thing worth noting is the presidential decrees presented on May 7, 2012. The so-called “May decrees” are known to almost all Russians, because they concern, first of all, improving the well-being and standard of living of budget workers. According to the decrees, the income level of workers should have increased at least twice. Are the “May Decrees” being implemented effectively? The question is controversial. As of 2016, workers' wages increased slightly. For example, prices for various types of products and services have increased much more.
What more can doctors hope for? In 2016, 332 billion rubles were allocated for medicine. Despite the seemingly impressive amount, many experts talk about a significant regression in the field of medical financing. Thus, in 2015, an amount of 16% more was allocated from the budget.
So should we expect an increase in doctors' incomes? It is not difficult to draw conclusions.
Payroll methods
It is really necessary to mention payroll calculation methods. The fact is that the state has recently developed a new method for calculating average monthly income. What is this method?
The average income of doctors is now calculated in a special way: the salary will include both the actual income of state employees and the income of citizens working in private companies. It would seem, how could this be related to the basic remuneration of doctors, what could this affect? Many experts talk about this method of calculating average income as an extremely unfair system. In fact, the promised salary increases can be compared with average incomes in the country and positive conclusions can be drawn. At the same time, few people take into account the fact how much the incomes of state employees and wage earners differ.
The “paper increase” is criticized by the people and supported by the authorities (the latter, in particular, declare the “incredible efficiency” of the new payment system). So is there any hope left for an increase in the salaries of public sector doctors?
Situation in 2016
The past year was characterized by extremely deplorable economic indicators. Doctors have acquired new responsibilities. It is becoming increasingly difficult for state employees to work, and, unfortunately, an increase in income has not yet been observed. The promised indexation of wages did not happen; almost everyone forgot about the May decrees. The emerging “paper increase” only aggravated the situation.
The salary of a doctor in Russia is really small. You don’t even have to compare it with global indicators - and so it becomes clear that the phrase “live, not survive” is becoming more and more real. Citizens are looking forward to 2017 with hope, expecting at least some decisions from the state. So what should doctors expect?
Forecasts for 2017
Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Olga Golodets announced two stages of salary increases in 2017. The first stage was supposed to begin on January 1, the second - on October 1. From the first stage, the amount of payments was supposed to increase by 7.5%. On October 1, a doctor’s salary should be 180% of the average for the regions of the country.
Are there any results already? The question remains open. Of course, some budget companies should have already felt an influx of funding. It is also worth mentioning the state’s plans to equate the salaries of medical workers to 200% of the national average - according to the “May decrees” already mentioned above. This must happen no later than January 1, 2018.
Reduction of doctors: truth or myth?
Rumors about layoffs of government workers have been circulating for a long time. Healthcare financing really leaves much to be desired. Despite this, the authorities are trying to find at least some way out, so as not to cause a huge number of “victims” of the cuts. So what should you expect today?
It’s worth noting right away that in 2017 it’s impossible to do without cuts to state employees. Thus, the government began an extensive program to optimize the medical sector, and therefore adopted a decree to close old and half-empty hospitals and other medical centers. Already in 2016, many doctors and other workers were left without work. However, here, too, not everything is so simple: while there is definitely an abundance of therapists today, there are not so many highly specialized specialists (ophthalmologists, dentists, gynecologists, etc.).
Problems still remain today. Despite the fact that the authorities are taking many measures to resolve them, one should not yet expect a qualitative leap and progress.
"Road map": general characteristics
The question of what doctors' salaries cannot be considered if you do not pay attention to special documents and projects developed by the state for a long time. One of the largest projects, developed and adopted by the government back in 2012, is called the “road map”. What it is?
The Road Map includes a number of specific provisions and measures aimed at effectively optimizing the healthcare sector. There are two main groups of measures recorded in this project. The first group is aimed at improving the financial situation of medical personnel. The second group is for increasing wages.
The "road map" regulates the increase in the salaries of chief doctors (as well as ordinary specialists) by 200%, and of middle and junior staff - by 100%. All this should happen by 2018. In addition to salaries, the road map establishes provisions for regulating the level of mortality and disease.
Doctor's salary in Russia: statistics
It is worth summing up all of the above in the form of special statistics. Thus, as of the beginning of 2017, the income of medical workers is approximately the following:
- the average salary of a doctor is 45 thousand rubles;
- income of nursing staff - 28 thousand rubles;
- the income of junior medical staff is 20 thousand rubles.
All these figures, oddly enough, meet the requirements of the Road Map. In reality, everything is somewhat different. “Paper salary increases” greatly distort the situation. We should not forget about the work of doctors at several rates in order to somehow ensure their lives.
Conclusion
All necessary statistics on income, features of accrual and recalculation were indicated above. The question of whether we should expect an increase in doctors' salaries remains open and very difficult. Despite the fact that the government is really monitoring the situation and trying to somehow resolve it, funding for budgetary areas still remains incredibly low.
Doctors and patients have always been in the same boat. That is why the question of the position of doctors concerns absolutely all citizens. There is a direct relationship between the deterioration of an employee’s standard of living and the number of his professional errors. What could be the solution here? At the moment, this is an increase in legal and political culture among the population. Only thanks to this will a person look at the world more broadly, and therefore, notice problems better.
Previously, real plans for government leadership were outlined that the salary increase for doctors for the period from 2012 to 2018 should be carried out in two temporary stages. In any case, this was recorded in Putin’s Decrees, which were called the May Decrees. However, the economic crisis situation associated with the fall in the cost of energy resources, as well as the events in Crimea and Donbass, which led to the imposition of sanctions by the West, forced the Government to suspend the implementation of the program.
Moreover, after several missed dates for new salaries for doctors, a healthcare reform was launched in 2016, which, as befits all reforms carried out under capitalism, led to a reduction in medical costs. And the first increase in salaries for doctors since 2012 occurred only in May 2017.
- doctors' salaries increased by 6%;
- mid-level medical specialists by 19%;
- and junior level medical staff by 10%.
Increase in salaries for doctors from October 1
Regarding how much the salaries of doctors have been increased in cash terms, the following data is provided that the average salary of doctors since October 2017 is:
- within 40 thousand rubles in the regions of Central Russia;
- about 65 thousand rubles - in the North, as well as in the Far East and Siberia;
- within 90 thousand - in Moscow.
Moreover, Ministry of Health officials explain that the final increase in doctors’ salaries in 2017 was planned to be within 60% and in two stages - from May 1 and October 1, 30% for each date. However, in fact, the level of income increases was not so large-scale, and as a result, more significant increases affected only junior and mid-level medical specialists.
As a result, the increase in salaries for doctors in 2017 led to the fact that their income in monetary terms now ranges from 24 to 40 thousand rubles, whereas before that they received from 15 to 30 thousand in ruble equivalent.
Salaries for doctors in October
In fact, the increase in salaries for doctors in October was the result of the fact that the government, in connection with the improvement of the economic situation in the country, first of all turned its attention to the situation with the deplorable state of income of medical specialists. Usually, when asked what the salary of doctors is, clarification is required, since it depends on several parameters, and the salary includes:
- salary approved by the medical institution;
- various increases for the loads endured by the staff and the complexity of the work. For example, surgeons who find it impossible to regulate periods of work and rest, since it often happens that they may not leave the operating table for hours during complex operations;
- premiums per category. A doctor can have three qualification categories, starting from the second, then he is assigned the first category and the highest paid category is the highest;
- additional payments depending on work experience, otherwise called length of service;
- regional surcharges. Each Russian region has its own economic characteristics. In some regions, the cost of living is higher than in others, therefore, to equalize the standard of living, there are allowances so that a medical worker can pay for housing, food, transportation and other expenses at the average Russian level;
- compensation payments due to inflation. If we take a strict approach, then the salary of doctors from October 1 is by no means an increase, but far from full compensation for the depreciation of money that occurred during the crisis, from 2013 to 2017.
Increase in salaries for doctors in October - news
News about salaries for doctors did not leave the lips of officials, but from their submission and from the pages of the media and television screens, perhaps, starting from the announcement of the Decrees. Moreover, every time these news came out with the mark “urgent” and the word “promotion” certainly appeared in their titles. However, this word acquired real meaning only in May, and also when the real salaries of doctors increased in October 2017.
Most analysts believe that due to the increase in the cost of barreled oil, which has already exceeded 60 units of the ubiquitous American currency, foreign exchange reserves are growing, and the President does not hide this. Therefore, the media, when publishing forecasts, are confident that a new increase in the income of public sector employees is coming, just as the salary of doctors in 2017 is not the limit; the latest news says that these increases are related to the future presidential elections.
There is even an assumption that by the spring of next year the average salary of a Russian physician will reach fifty thousand rubles. However, the news is immediately followed by comments from the doctors themselves that, as a rule, salary increases are accompanied by the term “optimization,” which means massive layoffs of workers.
But the intrigue about pre-election increases is really present, although so far no one can say either specific dates or the size of the increase in income. There are even rumors that they want to equalize the income of doctors with the Moscow and St. Petersburg salaries of medical workers. As they say, blessed is he who still believes in something.
As for the salary of Moscow doctors, its size can be seen in the income of the most popular profession in medicine - therapists. In the Moscow region they receive about 60 thousand - this is evidenced by statistics. However, its data cannot be considered reliable, since it takes into account the income of doctors, both public and private clinics.
Salaries in private medical institutions cannot be compared with the income level of municipal and state medical institutions, therefore the real income of the average ordinary pediatrician in a city or district clinic is much lower.
Expenditures on salaries of teachers, doctors and social workers in the budget will decrease by 34 billion rubles. Thanks to statistical tricks in calculating the average salary in the country, this will not violate the May presidential decrees
Low wages
Changing the rules for calculating the average salary in the regions allowed the government in 2016 to reduce allocations for remuneration of teaching, medical and social workers by a total of 34.2 billion rubles, as follows from the explanatory note to the draft federal budget for 2016 (available from RBC). The May decrees demanding an increase in the salaries of public sector employees will not be formally violated.
As RBC already wrote, in September the government approved a resolution on “improving statistical accounting,” according to which the concept of the average monthly salary in a particular region was replaced by the concept of average monthly income from work. “Unlike the old indicator, which was calculated only for the circle of employees of organizations, the new indicator covers the entire circle of people working for hire,” the document notes. As a result, the level of average wages in Russian regions will decrease.
Thanks to the resolution, budget allocations for salaries of teaching staff in federal institutions will be reduced by 24.1 billion rubles, for salaries of medical workers - by 9.218 billion rubles, and another 919 million rubles. the government will save on increasing wages for other social sector workers (compared to the parameters provided for in the 2015 budget law, which contained indicators for the planning period 2016-2017).
“This government order is a path to “paper” implementation of the May decrees without a real increase in the salaries of doctors and teachers,” a federal official explained in September.
One of the presidential decrees of May 2012 requires an increase in wages for social workers, but not in absolute terms, but in relation to the level of average wages. By 2018, the salaries of doctors, university teachers and researchers should increase to 200% of the average salary in the region, and the salaries of social workers, nurses, school teachers and some other categories should be increased to 100% of this value. Vladimir Putin has repeated more than once that the May decrees are not subject to revision: without regard to the crisis and other circumstances, the intended goals must be achieved.
Ambulance: minus 66%
In general, 332.129 billion rubles will be allocated for the Health Care Development program in 2016, which is 16% lower than in 2015 (the decrease will be 62.6 billion rubles). Previously, however, an even more serious reduction in funding was planned: compared to the plans laid down in the 2015 budget law, funding for the program was increased by 21.7%, but mainly due to the transfer of transfers from the Federal Compulsory Health Insurance Fund. At the same time, in some areas, expenses decreased compared to the plan, most of all - financing the subprogram for the development of emergency care (by 66%), management of industry development (by 55%), disease prevention and development of primary care (by 42%).
Expenditures on the Education Development program in 2016 will decrease both compared to last year and compared to the planned indicators of the three-year budget - a slight increase was expected there compared to last year, but the new parameters mean a decrease of 9.1%, to 403.994 billion rub. The change in expenses, as noted in the explanatory note, was influenced by a decrease in allocations for the preschool education subprogram by 31.6 billion rubles. and a vocational education subprogram for 3.454 billion rubles.
The volume of budget allocations for the section “Social Policy” in 2016 compared to 2015 will increase by 223.155 billion rubles, including due to an increase in interbudgetary transfers to the Pension Fund budget by 198.7 billion rubles, as well as payment of pensions to former military personnel in the amount of 23.1 billion rubles.
Increasing wages for various groups of public sector employees is an extremely exciting issue for many. The problem is that most of the employees are not sure that it will take place. Moreover, the issues of salary indexation occupy specialists in various fields and departments. Today, one of these burning topics is the increase in salaries for doctors in 2016 in Russia.
What are the specifics of medical work?
Doctors work around the clock when it comes to specialists from inpatient services and ambulance services. Of course, not every day, but in shifts. At the same time, the work day is quite complex and very intense. If a doctor takes on a part-time job or additional duty, his workload increases significantly - it’s quite difficult to withstand this.
The situation is especially dramatic due to the fact that doctors are constantly fighting for human lives. And there are often situations when this is simply impossible to achieve. And these are psychological overloads, breakdowns and much more.
The doctors serving the clinics are also not chilling. Their responsibilities include not only seeing patients on an outpatient basis, but also visiting them at home. At the same time, different patients may live in different parts of the area, and the doctor has to walk a lot.
Therefore, what will happen to doctors’ salaries is not the last question. After all, such work should be paid decently.
What is known about doctors’ salaries in the country?
It is believed, and this is often said at the official level, that medical employees receive fairly high salaries. A number of measures that helped index the salaries of medical workers were implemented a couple of years ago.
According to official statistics, the salaries of doctors are at a fairly competitive level and are estimated at 60,000 rubles.
What can you learn from alternative sources?
If you carefully study various forums and specialized sites for doctors to communicate with each other, you can understand that there are significant problems in this industry. It also becomes clear that the official salaries of many doctors are far from what was announced. According to such sources, you can derive an average figure of 25 - 30,000 rubles. Moreover, many, in order to receive such money, have to work several shifts, take on part-time jobs and shifts. Of course, it’s quite difficult to live with dignity on that kind of money. Of course, raising the salaries of doctors could significantly change the situation.
What documents regulate the increase in medical salaries?
The indexation of wages for doctors, as well as other public sector specialists, is regulated by presidential decrees. Even when taking office, the head of state issued a number of decrees according to which all state employees should receive by 2018 a salary 1.5-2 times higher than what they had at that time.
We moved towards achieving this goal quite successfully, having begun to regularly index employee salaries. But then a large-scale crisis occurred and problems arose in the international situation. The incomes of Russians fell significantly, massive layoffs began, and replenishment of the treasury stopped. Naturally, in such conditions, the state has absolutely nowhere to take money to replenish the budget and fulfill social obligations. Therefore, increasing salaries in the healthcare system in 2016 in the Russian Federation, as well as in other systems, was a big question.
What services are there today on the topic of public sector salaries?
Today they have already begun to talk, even on the official sidelines, that in 2015 it will be necessary to freeze the indexation of salaries of public sector employees. This news can hardly be called pleasant, especially against the backdrop of exponentially increased inflation and other economic troubles.
True, this means that indexation must definitely take place in 2016. But it’s unlikely to be big - after all, there’s nowhere to get money for it. Although even a small increase in salary will allow doctors to reduce the gap between the existing salary and changes in prices for everything.
What do experts think on this issue?
It is still unknown what the salary increase for doctors will be in 2016 - official bodies are silent and do not voice any information on this issue. But experts and analysts are trying to present their forecasts.
For example, they are confident that the size of such an increase, which will definitely take place, will be equal to the official inflation rate in the country. Today this level is announced at 6%. Although real inflation, which is several times higher than this figure, forced official representatives to reconsider their view of official information, and they were already talking about official inflation of 12, or even 17%. In fact, it is, of course, significantly higher. But an increase of this amount will allow doctors to at least level out a little and improve their well-being.
What measures have been taken to replenish the treasury and subsequently fulfill social obligations?
In order to be able to fully fulfill various social obligations, incl. and increase salaries for doctors, a decision was made to reform the health care system. Optimization involves reducing the number of employees - in the capital alone, 7.5 thousand employees were laid off. Many were transferred to other positions; unfortunately, demotions were also expected.
Against this background, whether there will be a reduction in doctors in 2016 in Russia is not an empty question. At the official level they say that there will be no mass layoffs. If the number of employees decreases, it will be for completely natural reasons: some will go on vacation due to age, others will change direction and field of activity, etc.
Optimization in the healthcare sector should, according to reformers, improve the health of the medical sector. Today there is a shortage of highly specialized employees, for example, neurologists, neurosurgeons, etc. Against their background, the number of general practitioners represents a significant oversupply. Therefore, doctors were offered to take advanced training courses and change their profile.
In addition, as part of this optimization, it was also envisaged to get rid of excess real estate on the department’s balance sheet. For example, they began to densify hospitals, combining several medical institutions into one. Let's say there was a hospital, a maternity hospital and a clinic. They were combined and created a treatment complex where the patient can receive all services at once. There is an opportunity to equip such centers with functional equipment. After all, previously it was only required in triple size, but here it’s only one. Therefore, funds were freed up for the purchase of more expensive equipment.
True, against this background, many started talking about the fact that empty hospital premises would simply be sold to commercial medical organizations, and the population would be deprived of free medicine to a fairly significant extent.
An increase in salaries for doctors in 2016 in Russia, on which many specialists are waiting for fresh news, must definitely take place. Emerging data on this issue can be viewed on the official websites of the departments responsible for this event, i.e. Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Health. Also, major newspapers will definitely write about this and report on television news. Therefore, it is worth carefully monitoring the media for the appearance of this kind of news.
He emphasized that the Foundation’s experts came to this conclusion based on an analysis of data published by Rosstat. In their opinion, this calls into question the fulfillment of the demands of the president and the government to consistently increase doctors’ salaries in 2017 to 200% of the regional average.
Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin met with doctors from the perinatal center that opened in Bryansk. He recalled that in 2018 the salary level for doctors should be 200%, and for middle and junior staff - 100% of the average salary in the region. The head of state also expressed confidence that the regions will be able to achieve these indicators.
According to preliminary data from Rosstat, the average salary of doctors working in medical organizations at the federal level by the end of 2016 almost reached 180% of the average salary in the region, Gavrilov said.
“However, the average salary of doctors for all types of medical organizations (including regional and municipal) amounted to 155.1% of the average salary in the country (2.8% below the plan), nursing staff - 86.2% (0.1% below plan), junior medical staff – 56.4% (20% below plan),” he noted.
The director of the Health Foundation said that each region has its own “road map” for 2012 – 2018, which sets target indicators linking the average salary of doctors and other health workers with the average salary in the regions.
“According to our data, in 2016, more than a third of regions (31 out of 85) did not reach the target for the average salary of doctors. At the same time, more than 10% fell short of the plan: Moscow (86.4%), Ryazan region (84.8%), Republic of Tatarstan (88.7%) and Kursk region (89.0%),” – reported Eduard Gavrilov.
A fifth (16 out of 85) of the regions did not achieve the target for the salary of nursing staff. Among the anti-leaders in the rating were the Tyumen region (87.4%), the Ryazan region (90.5%), the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) (91.2%) and the Omsk region (92.1%).
“The worst situation has arisen with the increase in salaries of junior medical staff. Almost three quarters (62 out of 85) of the regions did not achieve the target. We often hear complaints from the heads of medical institutions that due to low salaries, orderlies do not come to work for them. The constant shortage of personnel inevitably affects the quality of work of medical institutions as a whole,” emphasized the head of the Health Foundation.
Separately, he listed the regions that could not cope with the planned increase in salaries among all three categories of medical workers at the same time. These are Voronezh, Kursk, Ryazan, Yaroslavl, Astrakhan, Ulyanovsk, Tyumen, Omsk regions; Republics of Kalmykia, Mari El, Tatarstan, Sakha (Yakutia); Karachay-Cherkess Republic; Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug; Transbaikal region.
He noted that a number of regions - the Omsk and Ryazan regions - in the last months of 2016 and the Ulyanovsk region - at the beginning of 2017, rewrote the previously approved indicators of the road map, apparently discovering that they could not cope with their own plans.
“Of course, purely formally, now these regions can report on the implementation of plans. The logic is something like this: “we were building a house and it turned out to be a garage, but they quickly explained to everyone that this was how it was intended.” However, in this case, there is no point at all in setting work plans to improve the healthcare system and public control over their implementation, since at the finish line you can change the criteria in any direction for the sake of a formally positive assessment of your work. Therefore, in our analysis we used plans approved at the beginning, and not at the end of 2016.”
Rosstat published data on the average salaries of medical workers in different regions of Russia in 2016. The average salary of doctors in the country over the year increased by 5.8% and amounted to 50.7 thousand rubles; nursing staff - by 4.4% to 28.2 thousand rubles; junior medical staff - by 9.6% to 18.4 thousand rubles.
Meanwhile, according to the “May decree” of the president and the government-approved “road map” to improve the efficiency of healthcare, the average salary of doctors by 2018 should be 200% of the regional average. Taking into account the gradual increase, in 2016 the average salary of doctors should have reached 159.6% of the average salary in the country, nursing staff – 86.3%, and junior medical staff – 70.5%.
In accordance with the government’s plans, in 2017, doctors’ salaries should continue to grow: from January 1 – by 7.5%, then until October 1 – to a value of 180% of the regional average. By the beginning of 2018, the salary of doctors, in accordance with the “May decrees” of the president, should be 200% of the national average.
