Ambulance driver salaries in Mari El have fallen by 16% over the past two years.
Drivers of the Republican Ambulance Station in Mari El calculated, that their salaries have been reduced by 16% since 2023, and appealed to the head of the region, Yuri Zaitsev, demanding that salaries not be reduced or that additional social benefits be introduced for drivers, whose salary in April was 25,316 rubles after taxes.
"Is it possible to live decently on this amount of money in today's conditions? Why should a fully employed person, especially one employed by a government agency, exist on the brink of utter poverty?" the drivers wrote in a letter signed by 41 workers.
Due to low salaries, there is a shortage of ambulance drivers: in May, eight medical teams were idle.
Doctors toldThey received no response from the regional governor—only a formal reply stating that the letter had been forwarded to the regional Ministry of Health. The promised meeting with officials also never took place.