Zhejiang offers additional support for medical workers

Zhejiang province will make an effort to improve the working conditions, salaries and benefits for medical personnel, a notice released by provincial authorities said on Wednesday.

The notice, made by the province's leading group office for epidemic prevention and control, spelled out a series of supporting measures for personnel involved in coping with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Among the measures are increasing performance pay, giving preferential treatment in performance reviews and promotions and caring for their daily needs, especially people working in fever clinics, intensive care units and pediatrics.

Temporary work subsidies will also be offered to front-line medical workers working in ICUs, fever clinics and quarantine wards, to those engaged in diagnosing patients with fevers and respiratory symptoms or other symptoms of COVID-19 and those providing treatment for patients who choose self-health monitoring and management at home, the notice said.

As the province confronts a possible surge of COVID-19 infections in the coming months, doctors and nurses are working under great pressure and facing growing risks.

The notice called for strengthening the storage of protective medical materials and providing medical institutions with sufficient protective equipment, medicine, antigen detection reagents and other anti-epidemic materials.

It asked for a reasonable amount of rest for medical workers to avoid exhaustion and making arrangements for them to enjoy annual paid leave and special paid leave.

In terms of guaranteeing the operation of medical and health institutions, the notice said that special funds and subsidies should be quickly allocated. In addition, medical insurance payments should be accelerated to ease hospitals' liquidity pressure.

With COVID-19 prevention and control entering a more complex stage, great importance should be attached to providing support for medical workers in all aspects, the notice said, so as to help them maintain high morale and healthy bodies in the fight against the epidemic.

Fang Xiaoying in Hangzhou contributed to this story.