Nurses joined the rest of their colleagues and expressed fear for the cuts planned by the Government on health. Less doctors=smaller budget, but where do we go from here?

As all the rest of Tartu University Hospital workers, nurses too will have their salaries cut. However, the management of the hospital denies the rumours as if it were necessary to lay off hundreds of nurses.

One of the hospital nurses, wishing to remain anonymous, said that starting from the new year the hospital is preparing to cut the wage fund by 12 per cent, that would mean 33 millions of Estonian kroons. Even though more precise calculations have not been made yet, quick evaluations show that stopping the extra payments for working in the evening and during national holidays it would save about 2.9 million EEK.

Still, around 31 million is missing which, according to our source, could by the darkest scenario mean 125 nurses working full time to be laid off.

Mart Einasto, a member of the management board of Tartu University Hospital said that someone has probably jumped to a conclusion too early. „Unfortunately I cannot say that these talks are wrong, but they are wrong about the conclusions,“ he said. „There is no such intention, it’s just one of the numbers mentioned during a conversation.“
Einasto continues that the representatives of the workers have been explained to what the cuts mean – how much is it necessary to save from other areas up to in which way to cut the wage fund.  Labour unions have asked for more precise numbers about the costs of the measures, but the heads of the hospital haven’t managed to say anything precisely.

The management of the hospital has met with all the labour unions of the health sector workers, for cuts in salaries affect everyone including doctors.

The need to save

According to Einasto it isn’t clear yet how big is the need for cuts going to become, for the Health Insurance Fund hasn’t done any offers regarding contracts for the next year. The Hospital has only assumed how much money there would remain, and has come to the conclusion that it would be necessary to save 100 million EEK, compared to the 150 million this year.
The maintenance expenses have already been reduced, the hospital, following the recommendations by specialists, is already using analogue medicines that cost less. Here the possibilities for saving have mostly been used, but there are still the expenses left on labour force.

Einasto said that based on the meetings carried out until today, workers consider lay-off the worst of the solutions, but reducing the main salary is not welcomed either as people have obligations towards banks.

Labour Union is noncommittal

Gerli Usberg, the coordinator of the Estonian Nurses Union in South-Estonia and also a representative in the hospital said that it is clear that as the Health Insurance Fund budget has been cut then saving on something else is necessary.
The Union, however, is waiting for suggestions on how to save from the employers. Until now, Uusberg says, it is not known how much is necessary to save on salaries for the talks have been about very different numbers. „Certainly it is not even thinkable to go so far that the cuts would start harming patients,“ she said

Merike Vestmann, responsible nurse in the emergency medicine department said that there are not enough workers already now and there is no-one to lay off anymore.

Tiina Freimann, the chief nurse of the Hospital thought it was probable that it will not be necessary to lay off more than twenty nurses for the whole hospital. „We have reserves regarding our staff, all the jobs have not been occupied, and the wage budgets are being put together by the number of jobs,“ she said.

However, she stated that while lay-offs affect only small amount of workers, cuts in salary will affect everyone.