The representatives of the Ministry of Finance announced that other 478 state employees, who got infected with COVID-19 at work, will receive unique allowances amounting to 800 euros (16,000 lei). A decision was approved at the Government meeting on August 12.

Previously, ZdG wrote that only half of the healthcare staff infected with COVID-19 received the allowances of around 800 euros (16,000 lei) each. The Health Ministry stated that the positions and institutions in which they work are private. In Moldova, 1,611 employees in the healthcare system received allowances amounted, in total, at €1.26 million (25 million lei) after it was found that they became infected with COVID-19 at the workplace. However, 3,459 cases of COVID-19 were registered among the healthcare system workers by August 7. However, the Ministry refrained from mentioning the position, or the institution of the healthcare employees who obtained the allowances.

On August 12, the Ministry of Finance announced that 478 more employees from the healthcare system will receive allowances amounting to 800 euros (16,000 lei). 

The representatives of the Ministry of Finance announced that they will allocate around 400,000 euros (7.792 million lei) from the Government Intervention Fund to grant allowances to employees who got infected with COVID-19 during the exercise of their duties.

According to the Government Decision, 487 persons employed in the field of justice, defense, internal affairs, in the medical system, and other people employed at state institutions and public medical institutions that contracted COVID-19 infection at the workplace will benefit from allowances amounting to 800 euros (16,000 lei).

According to the Ministry of Finance, so far 1,690 people have benefited from the single allowance amounting to 800 euros (16,000 lei).

On August 7, ZdG wrote that only half of the healthcare staff infected with COVID-19 received the allowances of around 800 euros (16,000 lei) each. The Health Ministry stated that the positions and institutions in which they work are private.

In Moldova, 1,611 employees in the healthcare system received allowances amounted, in total, at €1.26 million (25 million lei) after it was found that they became infected with COVID-19 at the workplace. However, 3,459 cases of COVID-19 were registered among the healthcare system workers by August 7. 

The numbers were offered by the Ministry of Health in a reply addressed by Pro Moldova deputy, Ruxanda Glavan. 

However, the Ministry refrained from mentioning the position, or the institution of the healthcare employees who obtained the allowances.

“But what about the rest of the health care employees who were infected with COVID? By your own logic, dear leaders, we should understand that others will be left without allowances because they got infected ‘on purpose’ or because it didn’t happen at the workplace.

But the truth is different. In Moldova, healthcare workers got infected because of your incompetence. Regular testing of healthcare staff is only a statement! And their disappointment is growing daily amid many other inactions and promises of yours, forgotten along the way. 

I am silent about the detailed and PERSONALIZED (!) information on institutions and positions (doctors, nurses, other staff), and the ministry invoked personal data protection, and I still marvel at the stupidity of some officials,” writes Ruxanda Glavan, former Health Minister, July 2015 -July 2017.

The institution refused to provide details about the positions held by staff infected with COVID-19 of the healthcare system and about the medical institutions they represent.

According to the data from the reply, of the 3,459 healthcare staff infected with COVID-19, 870 are doctors, 1,547-nurses, 662- orderlies, and 380 are the auxiliary staff.

The Ministry of Health does not mention in its reply what will happen to the other 1,848 people who did not receive the special allowance in the amount of 800 euros (16,000 lei).

Earlier, President Igor Dodon said that all front-line employees who fought against COVID-19 must receive the 800 euros (16,000 lei) allowance.

”I have seen different interpretations that they got infected at the workplace or at home and I think that these insinuations must be stopped. Absolutely everyone must receive it. How do we know that this doctor or policeman got infected at work or somewhere else? Let’s not try to insinuate. I refer to colleagues from different state institutions and leaders of different state institutions. All employees of state institutions who got infected must receive 800 euros (16,000 lei),” said Dodon after the joint meeting held on April 13, 2020, with Prime Minister Ion Chicu and the President of Parliament, Zinaida Greceanii.

Dodon’s statement came after the director of the National Public Health Agency (ANSP), Nicolae Furtună, mentioned that allowances will be offered to the healthcare workers if the healthcare workers got infected at the workplace. The Government had allocated money only for 29 of 390 healthcare workers who appeared in official statistics at the time.