PM Ansip on doctors’ pay: I make only 3,999 euros a month
04.10.2012, 15:37Commenting the ongoing strike of medical professionals, prime minister Andrus Ansip said today that he is making only 3,999 euros a month, writes Äripäev.
Speaking at the government press conference, Ansip compared his income with that of the nation’s top doctors and said that it was beyond comparison.
Ansip was referring to a survey on total income of healthcare professionals that his office commissioned from the tax authority and which showed that if one takes into consideration all income including dividends and wages earned abroad, there were 212 medical doctors in Estonia who earned more than 7,500 euros a month in 2011.
Another 157 medical doctors earned between 6,500 and 7,500 euros a month and 429 medical doctors earned between 4,500 and 5,500 euros a month.
This means that more that half of Estonia’s 1,600 practicing medical doctors make at least 3,500 euros a month, with many earning much more.
Gaps in nurse wages are smaller, but there are still at least 1,300 nurses who earn between 2,000 and 4,000 euros a month.
Another 100 nurses earn over 4,000 euros a month, with most of them making between 1,000 and 2,000 euros.
The 19-page report prepared by the tax authority showed that this year average gross wages are 1,536 euros for doctors and 816 euros for nurses. 535 doctors receive more than 2,500 euros a month.