MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 30th October, 2020) The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a shortage of healthcare professionals throughout Russia and regional authorities must make sure that the medical workers' salaries were a priority everywhere, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday, commenting on media reports that more prosperous regions were "luring" doctors with high salaries to fight the coronavirus.
"There is currently a shortage of doctors everywhere, you know that doctors work in extreme [pandemic] conditions ... Physicians' salaries should be a priority in any region. And therefore, each region should regulate this activity depending on its capacities," Peskov said when asked to comment on the reports.
The presidential spokesman further noted that financial aids have been given to Russian regions to combat COVID-19 pandemic and they should therefore use the allocated fund.
In line with a relevant decree issued this spring, all those engaged in the fight against the coronavirus are being paid bonuses on top of their salaries.
Russia, like many other countries, is going through the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, with daily records of new infections. On Wednesday, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Tatiana Golikova said that hospital beds were occupied at 90 percent of capacity in 16 regions of the country.
