18 May 2023 10:06

The State Agency on Mandatory Health Insurance disclosed the results of the assessment of medical facilities

The special committee established by the State Agency on Mandatory Health Insurance has reviewed the groups and categories in relation to the performance of medical facilities subordinated to the Administration of Regional Medical Divisions (TABİB) during the year of 2022.

The evaluation was conducted to apply best practice models in medical facilities, to improve workforce capacity and the quality of medical services, and to set better wages for staff of health facilities, improving their living standards. The evaluation will help to develop a healthy competitive environment among medical facilities.

Evaluation of medical facilities is based on quantitative criteria such as the number of average doctor visits per day, annual inpatient surgical operations, availability of medical equipment, and quality criteria (e.g., average bed days per patient, doctors' qualifications, number of health specialists educated abroad, and variety of laboratory tests).

As for the results of the evaluation, it should be noted that, in terms of improving the accessibility and quality of medical services provided to citizens, significant progress was made in the performance of medical facilities in 2022 compared to 2021, and they improved by group and category indicators.

The group and category of Absheron District Central Hospital has increased from 2B to 3B. Considering the wide range of services provided by this health facility, the service area of hospital, and the large number of residents living there, it has been transferred from the status of a general profile medical facility to the status of a multi-profile medical facility. Compared to 2021, the number of beds in the Absheron District Central Hospital increased from 180 to 372 due to the merger of the Modular Hospital of Saray settlement; the number of outpatient and inpatient services provided to patients and the number of surgical operations also increased over 2021. Due to the additional equipment installed, the level of the laboratory of the medical facility has increased from the 3rd level to the 4th level, which in turn allows citizens to access a wider range of laboratory services.

The categories of Shamkir Regional Central Hospital and Guba Regional Central Hospital have both increased from 2B to 2A. The installation of additional equipment in the Shamkir Regional Central Hospital, the increase in the number of surgical operations, and the improvement of quality indicators (e.g., average bed days per patient and error margin in the register data of medical services provided under mandatory health insurance) contributed to an increase in this medical facility’s category. The category of Guba Regional Central Hospital was upgraded due to the increase in the average number of doctor visits per day, the number of medical staff, improvement of quality indicators such as average bed days per patient and error margin in the register data of medical services provided under mandatory health insurance as a result of  COVID-19 designated hospitals in the district resumed normal operation. 

In Garadagh and Pirallahi Medical Centers and Gobustan Regional Central Hospital, the improvement of the quality indicators such as average bed days per patient and error margin in the register data of medical services provided under mandatory health insurance, as well as the increase in the number of doctors in Gobustan Regional Central Hospital, contributed to the the category upgrading of these medical facilities from 2D to 2C.

The staff of medical facilities included in certain groups and categories selected on the basis of the assessment results  are paid incentive allowances. Performance indicators of medical facilities are proportional to the incentive allowances. In other words, the amount of incentive allowances paid to medical and non-medical staff varies depending on the performance indicators of medical facilities. This process is regulated by the "Regulation on the remuneration of healthcare workers of medical facilities attached to the Administration of Regional Medical Divisions (TABİB).”

According to this Regulation, in order to ensure the principle of fairness in setting the amount of salaries for employees of medical facilities, medical facilities are divided into three groups and categories (A, B, C, D) for each group. Group 1 includes medical facilities providing primary health care, Group 2 includes medical facilities of general profile, and Group 3 includes multi-profile and research-type medical facilities.

As an example, we examine the effect of a change in the group of the hospital on the salary of a pediatrician. If the group of the hospital has been increased from 2B to 3B, then the monthly salary of the ninth grade outpatient pediatric physician is 478 AZN, the monthly fixed incentive allowance is 800 AZN, and the monthly performance-based incentive allowance is 300 AZN (the amount varies according to the monthly patient intake). While in a category 2B hospital, the performance-based incentive allowance of a doctor was calculated with a coefficient of 1.2. After the change, for a category 3B hospital, it is calculated with a coefficient of 1.4. Thus, the total monthly salary of a doctor for category 2B will be 1,638 AZN (478+800+300*1.2), and for category 3B will be 1,698 AZN (478+800+300*1.4). The salaries are shown including taxes and other mandatory payments.