E-MAIL
In response to a State Council document calling for measures to improve working conditions for medical staff at the forefront of the fight against the Novel Coronavirus outbreak and safeguard their physical and mental health, the MOE issued a notice on February 14 to enhance support to the medical staff dispatched to Hubei province from university-affiliated hospitals.
The notice highlighted that since the outbreak of COVID-19 pneumonia, tens of thousands of healthcare workers from nearly 300 university-affiliated hospitals across the country had been sent to work in Hubei province, especially Wuhan. As the combat against the virus reached a critical stage and the situation in Hubei remained severe, protecting the medical staff who played a pivotal role in stemming the epidemic was essential.
The notice stressed the importance of keeping channels of communication open with the medics on the frontline, in order to monitor their work and physical condition. It also called for full deployment of protective equipment and medical supplies, proper accommodation and manageable shifts for staff, guarantees for sufficient rest breaks and sleep, and supply of healthy food and basic daily necessities to ensure their safety and wellbeing.
The notice gave instructions to ensure medical staff were given higher temporary allowances, while those playing a more significant role were to receive higher performance-based pay. Medical staff contracting the pneumonia were to be given the most effective treatment and a green (priority) channel opened to speed up recognition of their work-related injuries. Psychological support was also to be provided to alleviate stress. When victory over the outbreak could be declared, these medical staff were to receive timely physical checks and be granted a compensatory rest.
The notice also requested proper assistance to be provided to the families of medical staff, e.g. ensuring they were supplied with daily necessities and protective equipment, and ensuring their children were cared for to enable the medical staff to devote themselves worry-free to their work. In addition, it encouraged people to share positive stories about outstanding medical staff through different channels, in order to rally support in the combat against the virus, and required that those medical staff be given a preferential review in various evaluations and in relation to bonus distributions.