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An amendment is proposed to the law on Medical Aid and Service of Population, which is designed in Article 33 of the law. It is proposed to add a provision, according to which, during the period of implementing the process of the Continuous Professional Development (CPD) the workplace, the work experience, as well as the payment are preserved. According to the abovementioned law, the CPD credits are given to the medical workers for the gained knowledge and professional skills. It is set that during 5 years the medical workers shall collect 220 credits, taking part in trainings, conferences and other established events. But it is not stipulated by law that in cases of taking part in them, therefore, being absent from work how are those medical workers paid, if the salary, the work experience and payment are preserved.

The deputies of the NA Civil Contract Faction Narek Zeynalyan and Lusine Badalyan are the authors of the proposing amendment to the law. The NA Standing Committee on Health Care moderated by Narek Zenalyan organized a working discussion on the legislative amendment on July 20, where deputies, those responsible for the sphere of health and the heads of the medical institutions.

Narek Zeynalyan gave details that their proposal refers to the protection of labour rights of medical workers, as the abovementioned issues are not specified, and their regulation is left at the disposal of the directors of the medical institutions. According to him, it is not violation of law, as it is not stipulated anywhere, how shall the issues of the medical workers’ work experience, workplace and payment be regulated, when they take part in the training courses, seminars, scientific, scientific-practical symposiums, conferences, etc for the CPD within certain terms.

The First Deputy Minister of Health Lena Nanushyan informed that in all medical institutions from January 1, 2023 the availability of the PCD certificates will be obligatory. “All the problems, which can appear as a result of this process is very important to disclose and make amendments at this moment,” the Deputy Minister said, proposing the participants of discussion the problems and their versions for its solutions.

The participants of the discussion informed that for the PCD the absentees of the medical workers being absent from work are considered for good reason, according to the RA Labour Code, the work experience and the workplace are maintained, but it is done in accordance with the inner regulation of the institution.

In response, the Committee Chair Narek Zeynalyan clarified that it is set by the Labour Code that work experience, the workplace and the payment are preserved during the rise of the worker’s qualification, and the PCD is not rise of qualification. He informed that some medical centres do not give salary to the medical workers taking part in training, and they are obliged to go for training or other set having at their expense. “We want everybody work in one field, this is the problem,” Narek Zeynalyan underlined.

The guests presented to the deputies their viewpoints on the regulation of the issue, as well as their versions of the medical workers’ training, consider expedient the proposing amendment to the law.

Summing up the discussion, the Chair of the Standing Committee on Health Care Narek Zeynalyan thanked the participants for constructive discussion. He informed that the draft on the basis of the proposals will be partially reformulated.