Georgia introduces control over minimum hourly wage for doctors

Minimum hourly wage for doctors

Beginning in 2023, the labor department of Georgia will control the minimum wage for doctors and nurses.

On January 1, 2023, the minimum hourly wage for doctors and nurses was set at 7 lari [about $2.5] per hour and 4.4 lari [about $1.6] per hour, respectively.

The department received the authority to conduct inspections in hospitals both on issues of compliance with labor rights and related to the minimum wage of doctors and medical staff. According to the agency, in the event of violations clinics will be fined, the amount of such fines currently being unknown.

The measure is to prevent hospitals and clinics assigning medical staff a lower position to avoid paying them the full legal wage for their actual position.

“The Labor Department will react swiftly to all violations and the rights of all employees will be protected in accordance with the law,” the agency explains.

All clinics participating in the universal health program that have hospitals are required to pay doctors and nurses the minimum wage. According to the new regulation, the wage increase will affect up to 9,000 doctors and more than 8,000 nurses. According to the Ministry of Health, in the coming years the minimum wage for doctors and nurses will increase. By 2025, it will be 9 lari [about $3.3], and for nurses 5.6 lari [about $2]. As the agency explains, the ministry studied international experience to determine the minimum wage limit. The experts of the Ministry of Health also reviewed practices in various private clinics operating in Georgia, finding that wages varied from 5.5 to 6.2 lari [about $2-2.3] per hour.