Increases and career paths will soon be available for doctors in the National Health Service. On 23 January, in fact, the 2019-2021 employment contract of the medical and health management will be definitively signed at Aran, but we are already looking to the next contractual round 2022-24 with the white coat unions also asking for a rethink on the status of the profession: “We ask for a sort of special management, like for magistrates”, explains Pierino Di Silverio, secretary of the largest hospital doctors’ union, Anaao Assomed, to ANSA.
With the new contract, there will be an average increase in the pay slip of around 250-290 euros gross per month and the arrears amount to around 11 thousand euros gross. Among the new features, career paths and a clear improvement in working conditions are envisaged, with the introduction of a right that recognizes extra hours worked and the obligation to recover them. A new specific healthcare allowance was introduced for the first time for profiles other than medical and veterinary, and the text also included the regulation of agile working and remote working as well as the hiring of fixed-term specialist managers . Furthermore, new first aid and specific healthcare allowances, previously not foreseen, have been introduced. Some protections were then expanded, for example those concerning serious pathologies that require life-saving therapies, measures in favor of women victims of violence, and different types of absences. The contract concerns a total of 135 thousand white coats of the NHS: 120,063 doctors and 14,573 non-medical health managers, and the resources amount to 618 million euros. The definitive signature “marks an important milestone for Aran and the unions – states the president of Aran, the Agency for the negotiation representation of public administrations, Antonio Naddeo -.
In addition to the significant salary increases, there are in fact a series of innovative regulatory provisions on working hours, ready availability and guards, which will allow a better quality of life for doctors. Now, let’s look at the new contractual round 2022-2024, where the healthcare sector represents a priority for the objectives set by the Government”.
Satisfied with the final signature of Di Silverio, who speaks of a “certainly improving” contract: “There are lights and shadows but this is undoubtedly a positive contract in various respects. In fact, we have resolved the age-old problem of excess working hours, making it easier access to careers, reduced the possibility of using doctors as globetrotters forced to move between distant locations and introduced and contracted trainees”. In short, “many positive news, even if there is still a lot of work to do to make this profession more attractive”. Starting from the new round for the 2022-24 contract, for which the calls have not yet started. And on this front Di Silverio is critical: “Approximately 2.4 billion have been allocated in the Budget which will however have to serve to cover the new contract of the medical management, that of the healthcare sector and also the general practitioners, although these are not part of of the Public Administration (PA). Obviously these resources are insufficient, even if we understand how the increases must be spread across the entire PA”. Hence a ‘provocation-proposal’ from the Anaao: “We propose that the medical management becomes a sort of ‘special management’ still within the PA, with a status in itself, as for example already happens for magistrates” . This, clarifies the union leader, “would imply that different actions could be envisaged for medical managers compared to the rest of the PA. A special management that allows for a distinct path also in relation to contractual increases and careers, effectively making the contract more free”. “We have already contacted lawyers and we are discussing it. The objective is to present to the government our proposal for a more current profession model – concludes Di Silverio”.
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