Turkmen healthcare practitioners believe it is better and more profitable to look after the elderly, disabled or children in Turkey than to work as a nurse in Turkmenistan.
This statement is evidenced with the fact that paramedics and nursing staff are leaving Turkmenistan.They prefer to be employed as migrant workers in Turkey rather than work in hospitals in their home country.
Correspondents of “Chronicles of Turkmenistan” report that Turkmen Houses of Health (the official name of inpatient and outpatient hospitals) and emergency stations are experiencing a shortage of nurses.
For instance, a few years ago in Ioleten etrap of Mary velayat nurses were only hired part time with 0,5 or maximum 0,75 fte (full time equivalent). Due to a shortage of personnel nurses are currently being employed with 1,5 fte. Nurses can occasionally become ward attendants.
The shortage of medical staff leads to some problems.For instance, nurses used to keep a record book and warn parents that their children need to be vaccinated but there is nobody to do this job for the time being.
If parents remember to pay a visit to a medical institution themselves, their child will be inoculated and if they fail to do so, the child will remain unvaccinated.
Nurses with diplomas and work experience, who can make injections and apply bandages, are employed in Turkey as nurses with a monthly salary of $550 excluding accommodation and meals.
If a nurse has worked for 3 or 4 years in the family and has proved herself to be a good worker, her salary can be increased to $800.
This is the salary that even the nurses of Ashgabat clinic cannot even dream of.
“Chronicles of Turkmenistan” has previously reported that migration caused the shortage of qualified staff, which is especially noticeable in healthcare and education.