Major hospital's service chief quits over low salary of ambulance teams
Dr. Lilian Lääts, head of the ambulance center at the North Estonia Medical Center (PERH), confirmed to Delfi that she will step down from her post at the end of August.
According to Dr. Lääts, her values and leadership style no longer align with those of the hospital. "In my resignation letter, I also told staff that my values and understanding of leadership culture no longer match those of the anesthesiology clinic or the hospital's management board," she said.
She explained that ambulance crews work in teams of three, and compared with competitors, the salaries of team leaders at PERH are significantly lower. She noted that she has worked to improve this both as head of the ambulance center and as a member of the Ambulance Association's board.
"In my view, the responsibility taken on by a nurse serving as an ambulance team leader must be properly compensated. Ambulance work is a field where nurses independently make diagnoses, determine treatment and take responsibility for a patient's life, often in very critical situations," Dr. Lääts said. Every emergency service operates at a higher-than-average risk level and that additional risk should also be compensated."
Dr. Lääts said she hopes her decision to step down will not trigger a wider wave of resignations and that the regional hospital's ambulance center will continue to provide high-quality emergency services.
Delfi was also contacted by an employee of the PERH ambulance service, who said they hope Dr. Lääts will remain in her position and that, otherwise, a wave of departures is expected, as many do not see a shared future with the current management.
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Editor: Marcus Turovski
Source: Delfi
