Azernews.Az

Qabil Ashirov

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For doctors on the front lines of healthcare, every day brings its own responsibilities, like a patient waiting for help, a difficult decision to make and, sometimes, a life hanging in the balance.

Recognizing the weight of this responsibility, Azerbaijan is taking new steps to improve the working conditions and financial well-being of healthcare professionals. First Vice President Mehriban Aliyeva has initiated an increase in the salaries of healthcare workers employed within the TƏBİB system, with the aim of better recognizing their work, improving their financial well-being and strengthening human capital in the healthcare sector.

Moreover, President Ilham Aliyev welcomed the initiative and issued relevant instructions for its implementation.

The new salary regulations, which took effect on September 1, 2026, cover 72,212 healthcare workers employed at medical institutions under TƏBİB (Management Union of Medical Territorial Units).

As part of the reform, the annual wage bill across the TƏBİB system has increased by AZN 189 million. The additional funding will support higher salaries and introduce new remuneration mechanisms for healthcare professionals.

Salary increases will vary according to employees’ positions, specialities, workload, performance and staffing needs in different regions.

The reform provides particularly significant increases for doctors working in primary healthcare, emergency medical services, anesthesiology and intensive care, as well as specialists in fields facing staff shortages in the regions.

A coefficient of 1.3 will be applied to special incentive allowances for specialities facing staff shortages in the regions, as well as to additional performance-based payments for certain services. The measures are intended to attract more doctors to regional medical institutions and improve access to healthcare services outside the capital.

The latest decision builds on a series of measures introduced in recent years to improve the incomes and working conditions of healthcare professionals. Salaries at institutions under TƏBİB have been increased since 2023, while further increases were introduced in 2025 following the rise in the minimum wage. Tariff salaries for employees of nurseries under the Ministry of Health were also increased by coefficients ranging from 1.5 to three times.

The broader aim of the reforms is to strengthen the social well-being of healthcare workers, make the medical profession more attractive, address staffing shortages in the regions and improve patient satisfaction.

These changes are particularly important for the regions, where attracting and retaining experienced medical professionals remains one of the key challenges. Better pay, improved working conditions and modernized medical facilities can make regional hospitals a more attractive choice for doctors who might otherwise build their careers in the capital.

Dr. Sevil Ismayilova is one example of a medical professional who chose to take her experience back to the region.

Anesthesiologist and intensive care specialist Dr. Sevil Ismayilova, who completed her professional development in Türkiye after graduating in Azerbaijan and later spent 25 years working at leading medical institutions in Baku, decided to continue her career in her hometown of Zardab within the TƏBİB system several years ago.

Currently, Dr. Ismayilova is serving as head of the Emergency Medical Services Department at Zardab District Central Hospital. Her return to Zardab has allowed her to put the experience she gained over decades in Turkiye and Baku at the service of patients in her hometown, while also sharing her knowledge with younger healthcare professionals.

Dr. Ismayilova has welcomed the increase in healthcare workers’ salaries, saying the measure will have a positive impact on the motivation of doctors working in the regions and help attract more young medical professionals to regional hospitals.

“In recent years, the construction of new hospitals in the regions, the renovation of existing medical facilities and improvements to their technical infrastructure have brought significant changes to the quality of healthcare services. The gap between the regions and the capital is no longer as wide as it once was.

The increase in salaries will further strengthen this process. I believe it will encourage more young doctors to consider working in the regions. Proper recognition of doctors’ work is very important both for their social well-being and their motivation.

I would like to express my gratitude to First Vice President Mehriban Aliyeva for her initiatives to support healthcare workers and improve their social well-being. I believe these measures will increase the motivation of medical professionals and contribute to the further development of healthcare services in the regions,” Ismayilova said.