TASHKENT (TCA) — A group of medical personnel working at the ambulance service center in Uzbekistan’s capital Tashkent have complained to President Shavkat Mirziyoyev about what they called the government's "failure" to increase their salaries during the coronavirus pandemic, a move promised by the president since March, RFE/RL reported.
In an open letter addressed to Mirziyoyev posted on Telegram, the medical workers said that "despite being on the frontline in the fight against the coronavirus, we are not tested for COVID-19 ourselves, and not fully equipped with protective garments."
The letter also says that compensation promised by Mirziyoyev to medical personnel infected with the virus have not been paid, while the number of physicians and nurses not receiving the increased funds is on the rise.
"We have been working [with COVID-19 patients] for four months, but our salaries have not been increased and there were cases when our wages were delayed," the letter says.
"Also, we, the medical personnel, had to be tested for coronavirus once in every 14 days, but in the last four months we were tested only once. We may have contracted the virus and passed it on other people while walking around, as our bodies may have developed immunity to it, but we do not know," it adds. "After all, we are human beings and we must be with our families. For how long shall we live in fear, anxiety, and suspicion?"
On July 20, Mirziyoyev ordered mayors of cities and districts to personally monitor the situation in each hospital around the clock, adding that they were responsible for creating conditions for the nonstop operation of hospitals.
Mirziyoyev also said that 80 percent of lethal COVID-19 cases had been registered in Tashkent, the capital.
As of July 21, the number of coronavirus cases in Central Asia's most populous country of 32 million was 17,590, including 91 deaths.
Source: TCA
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