Nurse representatives have voiced opposition to the proposal by the Rural Doctors Society (RDS) for new hardship allowance rates for rural medical professionals,claiming nurses would not receive enough.
The discord was raised in the second meeting of the committee for public health personnel payments yesterday.
The committee was set up after tripartite talks on June 6, chaired by prime minister's secretary-general Suranand Vejjajiva, to solve conflicts over the proposed pay-for-performance (P4P)scheme between the RDS and the Public Health Ministry.
Under the P4P scheme, rural doctors'hardship allowances would be halved and performance-based payments would be introduced.
RDS president Kriangsak Watcharanukulkiat proposed new hardship allowance rates for medical personnel at the meeting yesterday.
Payments to doctors and dentists would remain mostly the same, but the RDS is seeking extra payments for nurses.However, the nurses say this is insuf-ficient and it would widen pay gaps among medical professionals.
Currently, hardship allowance rates for doctors and dentists range from 10,000 baht to 70,000 baht a month, depending on years of service and location.
Nurses' hardship allowance rates range from 1,200 baht to 4,500 baht a month, but the RDS wants this bumped up by 600-700 baht.
The nurses say this is not enough.Dr Kriangsak said the new rate might change later after further discussions.
"It's not right to determine the rate of hardship allowance by profession.Nurses are working very hard," Thailand Nursing and Midwifery Council vicepresident Krisada Sawaengdee said.
"We're not going against the RDS,"she said."But it should talk to us before proposing a new regulation for hardship allowances involving nurses."
Thai Chief Nurse Executive vicepresident Jongkol Intasan said nurses have very heavy workloads.
She pointed out that nurses provide primary care to patients and take care of patients throughout their stay, yet they receive low remuneration.
"Nurses have no voice," she said.
Source: Bangkok Post June 22, 2013
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