Delayed Medical Staff Allowances... "Due to Ministry of Health and Welfare Guideline Changes" vs "No Such Guideline Exists" (Comprehensive)

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] Regarding the controversy over the delayed payment of work allowances for medical staff who treated COVID-19 patients in Daegu, the Daegu city government explained that "the payment was delayed due to changes in the Ministry of Health and Welfare's guidelines," but the government rebutted, saying this is "contrary to the facts."

On the 10th, Daegu city stated, "There was a misunderstanding in the interpretation of the guidelines between the Ministry of Health and Welfare and Daegu city," and announced that the allowances would be paid by today.

Yeo Joon-sung, policy advisor to the Minister of Health and Welfare, posted on Facebook the day before, rebutting that "Daegu city's explanation regarding the 'non-payment of medical staff allowances' contains parts that are not factual." Earlier, Daegu city had explained that although the allowances were originally to be paid every two weeks, the Ministry of Health and Welfare's guidelines changed the payment to a monthly basis, and during this process, issues with deductions such as the four major insurances and taxes caused delays in payment.

Advisor Yeo pointed out that Daegu city's explanation is "not true." He said, "The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters' guidelines do not specify the timing of payment," and added, "If Daegu city has such guidelines, please disclose them."

Advisor Yeo emphasized, "Whether local governments pay weekly, biweekly, or monthly, it is up to the local government to decide," but added, "Usually, when a labor contract is made, it is natural to pay after the contract ends." He further explained, "The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters' guidelines state that soldiers, public health doctors, and public institution dispatch personnel are paid every two weeks, and private recruits must work for at least one month, with allowances paid according to the number of days worked."

He disclosed the payment details of personnel dispatched by the central government to Daegu and stated, "The government has already provided the funds so that Daegu city can pay as soon as possible." According to the details, the city has already received about 20 billion KRW from the central government as a budget for medical staff allowances.

Chae Hong-ho, Deputy Mayor of Daegu, responded to these criticisms by saying, "Regardless of the reasons, we will promptly pay the allowances to the medical personnel," and added, "We have taken measures to prioritize payment to all personnel by today."

Deputy Mayor Chae said, "During February and March, when many confirmed cases occurred, all personnel were focused on responding to the cases, so some administrative processing was delayed," and added, "When the Ministry of Health and Welfare and Daegu city needed to unite and focus on the response, there was a misunderstanding regarding the interpretation of the guidelines." He also said, "Yesterday, Kim Kang-lip, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare, also said it was a misunderstanding," and added, "This misunderstanding is an issue that Daegu city and the government must resolve together."

Meanwhile, Daegu city has been sequentially paying allowances starting from the medical staff who worked at four residential treatment centers that were closed as of last month, beginning from the afternoon of the previous day. According to Daegu city, a total of about 2,100 medical volunteers came to Daegu, of whom only about 900 working at screening clinics and public health centers received allowances, while the remaining approximately 1,200 did not.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.