[ad_1]
On Monday, December 21, the Ministry of University and Research has set the starting date for training in the specialist medical pavilion: it will be January 26, almost a month after the date initially foreseen by the announcement, December 30 . For the more than 14,000 doctors who will start their specialization, this is very important news, because now they have a little more certainty about their future, but there is a new question that is causing discussion: the decision that the scholarship recipients work in the campaign of vaccination without an actual payment.
Jurisdiction and appeals
The competition for access to specialist positions has evolved intricately, with appeals and many delays prompting protests from young doctors. With the news coming on Monday, it appears that the major issues have been resolved.
Attending a postgraduate course is essential if you want to practice medicine on the NHS. The courses, which are held directly in hospitals, last from two to five years. During the period of specialization, doctors receive a salary: net of deductions, the net salary is approximately 1,650 euros per month for the first two years and between 1,700 and 1,800 euros per month during the following years.
To access the courses, you have to win a national competition: this year it was held on September 22, more than two months late compared to previous years, despite a severe shortage of Italian doctors. The contest was attended by 23,756 licensed physicians for a total of 14,455 available places.
– Read also: The history of delays in the specialization of 14 thousand doctors
The candidates answered 140 questions in 210 minutes, but one of the questions, question number 87, was inaccurate: the radiograph attached to the question showed a fractured left femur, with an unclear image. For this reason, many participants in the competition have appealed to the Lazio Regional Administrative Court. The plaintiffs gave the correct answer and complained that, due to the imprecision of the question, the commission had awarded one point ex officio to each candidate. The TAR had accessed a complainant who had given the correct answer and complained that he was at a disadvantage because he had obtained the same score for that question as those who had answered incorrectly.
(ANSA / RICCARDO ANTIMIANI)
On October 5, the ministry announced that the publication of the ranking with the winners would be postponed due to appeals. The ranking was only published on October 26 in a provisional version, but the allocation of seats was pending until the State Council hearing scheduled for December 15.
– Read also: What do we know about the new variant of the coronavirus?
Some rulings of the Council of State on appeals were published on Monday, December 21, and annulled the decision of the Regional Administrative Court, confirming the ranking already published by the ministry. “We are satisfied with the favorable result of the Ministry with respect to the appeals presented by some candidates on question no. 87 of the test and that the sentence underlined the very high level of the technical commission of the competition, “wrote on Facebook the Minister of University, Gaetano Manfredi.
The new dates
The decision of the Council of State has unblocked the situation, so the ministry has published the new program. On Tuesday, December 22, the assignments of the candidates to the schools were published, that is, where the doctors will attend the specialization course. Physicians must register by December 30th and registrations will be completed between January 7-11. Classes are scheduled to begin on January 26.
Timings are important because many of the future trainees are working today in the USCA, the special care continuity units or in the RSAs: therefore, they must have time to resign and organize the transfer to the city where they will attend the course of specialization. “We did not even think that we would end this close to Christmas, but it depended on the timing of the State Council,” he said in an interview with Print Minister Manfredi. “After that, everyone knew the provisional rankings, they knew how they were positioned, so I doubt whoever was behind has quit.”
(ANSA / RICCARDO ANTIMIANI)
Protests for the vaccination campaign
In recent months, doctors’ unions have repeatedly criticized the minister for how the national competition was managed. The protests are not over, and now refer to the ministry’s decision to involve doctors in the vaccination campaign by recognizing the work not with a real salary but with four training credits. Participation is voluntary and the assignment lasts one month, according to the forecasts of the University Council.
According to the medical unions and associations, working on the vaccination campaign cannot be considered a training activity and therefore must be paid more than the scholarship.
“Who cares for you?”, An association of doctors in specialized training, “gray” gowns and precarious doctors, has proclaimed the first state of agitation of precarious and training doctors. There are around 15 thousand “gray” gowns throughout Italy and they are doctors who cannot work because they have not managed to enter postgraduate training, such as specialization courses or courses to become general practitioners. “Gray coats and medical specialists play a fundamental role in the maintenance of the national health service and, in particular in the last year, our contribution has been fundamental to be able to face the Covid-19 emergency. In return, our fundamental work has been repeatedly denigrated and degraded, ”reads the statement announcing the mobilization. “It is no longer possible to accept that, as fellows and postgraduates, we work with a contractual framework of a parasubordinate type totally devoid of rights and protections. We are tired of serving as a labor force always and in any case available in all conditions, including real exploitation, with the duties of those who work and the few rights of those who study.
– Read also: Questions and Answers About the Coronavirus Vaccine
Anaao Giovani, a youth section of the 22,000-member doctors union, has called for the resignation of Minister Manfredi. “The words of the minister represent one more slap in the face to the comrades in formation who have done so much and are doing so much in this epidemic. The only responsible act of the minister would be his resignation ”, said Pierino Di Silverio, national manager of Anaao Giovani.
The minister did not rule out that there may be a form of retribution for those who participate in the vaccination campaign, but at the moment there are no certainties. “This controversy surprised me and I didn’t like it,” he said. “As a ministry of the University, since specialist doctors are the only ones who already receive a scholarship, we can only provide educational credits. Nothing prevents the Ministry of Health from evaluating a possible fee for the vaccination service. Among other things, the recognition of credits was decided by the Observatory of medical training, which also includes postgraduates.
[ad_2]
