Amman, Thursday, October 17th, 2024
The Jordanian Labor Watch renewed its rejection of the increase in the wages of doctors in the private sector, which was recently republished in the Official Gazette, without taking parallel measures to enable working men and women, especially those in the private sector with average and low incomes, to bear these increases in health care costs.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Jordanian Labor Watch said that the republication of the 2024 doctors' wage regulation after the Minister of Health canceled its implementation when it was first published shows that the new government is not serious about strengthening the system of economic and social rights and that it is following the path of previous governments.
The Jordanian Labor Watch, which is affiliated with the Phenix Center for Economic and Information Studies, pointed out that increasing doctors' wages by 60 percent over three years requires parallel measures, most notably increasing workers' wage levels to enable them to bear these new burdens and guarantee their right to health care guaranteed by the International Bill of Human Rights and the fundamental principles and rights at work—international labor standards.
The Jordanian Labor Watch pointed out in its statement that this significant increase in doctors' wages will negatively affect the ability of citizens to bear the costs of health care and that not increasing workers' wages will exacerbate the economic burdens of a large segment of them, especially in light of their suffering from successive increases in the prices of various goods and services resulting from the application of unfair tax policies represented by indirect taxes (general sales tax, withholding taxes, and customs duties), which led to the erosion of salaries and weakened the purchasing power of many citizens.
The Jordanian Labor Watch warned of the negative effects of this increase on health insurance in the private sector, as insurance companies are expected to reduce their services or raise the prices of health insurance policies, which may lead to a decrease in the number of health insured people, especially in small and medium-sized companies, in order to reduce the financial burden on companies.
The Jordanian Labor Watch emphasized that increasing doctors' wages without addressing the effects on patients and their families will lead to higher healthcare costs in the private sector and will deprive large segments of citizens of their rights to access quality health care, especially with the continued poor quality of health care services in the public sector.
Increasing doctors' wages without addressing the harms to patients and their families will hinder the realization of the objectives of the third pillar of the National Social Protection Strategy, entitled “Empowerment,” which is related to improving social services.
The Jordanian Labor Watch called on the government not to limit itself to its regulatory role but to ensure the right of citizens to health care guaranteed by the International Bill of Human Rights.