Russian doctors’ union releases ‘map of problems’ medical workers face during the coronavirus pandemic

The “Doctors’ Alliance” medical workers union has launched what it's calling the COVID-19 Map, visualizing data according to four parameters: lack of protective equipment, lack of promised hazard pay, refusal to test medical workers for the coronavirus, and healthcare workers’ deaths caused by COVID-19. Anti-corruption activist Alexey Navalny announced the new project on his blog.

Medical workers can also report problems through a feedback form on the website inspection.alyansvrachey.ru. 

President Vladimir Putin announced the hazard pay for medical workers treating coronavirus patients on April 8. The Cabinet then allocated 45.6 billion rubles ($619.7 million) for these payments. Under this particular order, medical workers can receive between 25,000 and 80,000 rubles (between $340 and $1,087) over the course of three months, beginning in April.

In mid-May, healthcare workers across Russia began complaining that they had not received the payments they had been promised. On May 19, the Investigative Committee initiated its first criminal investigation for the non-payment of coronavirus bonuses, accusing the leadership of the Armavir City Hospital (also located in Krasnodar Krai) of “negligence.”

Russian medical workers have been complaining about a lack of protective equipment since the COVID-19 pandemic began.