COVID-19 has affected the incomes of some health professionals by reducing demand for care and increasing expenditures for treatment preparedness. In a survey of 14 European countries, we found that most countries have incentivised substitutive e-health services to avoid loss of income.

The COVID-19 pandemic has put a lot of pressure on health care services and elderly care. Staff have had an extremely heavy and often stressful workload and have worked very hard. The risk of mental ill health may have increased. This is why the Government proposes funds to support staff in regional and municipal health care and elderly care in its autumn amending budget for 2020. This will make money available for crisis support, counselling and trauma support. The proposal is based on an agreement between the government parties, the Centre Party and the Liberal Party.

GOV.SI (11.11.2020) The ACP6 introduces higher bonuses for care home employees. According to the law, bonuses for working in the grey and red zones are 30% of the salary base and apply regardless of whether or not an epidemic has been officially declared. In this way, employees are additionally compensated for working in the grey and red zones, regardless of the respective collective agreement, which provides a bonus of up to 65% during an epidemic. These two bonuses have been mutually exclusive so far, but as of now the higher of the two will be paid.

The Sofia Globe (09.11.2020) Bulgaria’s Government has approved an additional 81 million leva, or about 41.4 million euro, for the country’s healthcare system to help fight the rising number of Covid-19 infections in the country. The funding will cover the rest of 2020.

65 million leva will go towards hospitals and other medical facilities to diagnose and treat coronavirus patients. 15 million leva would go towards the acquisition of rapid antigen tests, for use in the mobile diagnostics centres.

 regjeringen.no (10.11.2020) The government proposes NOK 480 million for a new compensation scheme. The scheme will cover some of the expenses companies have when foreign labor must have the entry quarantine.