Nursing staff in Germany are challenged by the corona pandemic.
NRW boss Wüst proposes a bonus - Health Minister Spahn adds.
Berlin - The coronavirus has burdened a large number of people since the beginning of the pandemic - not just the sick.
In Germany, however, the care workers who are confronted with emergencies almost around the clock are particularly hard hit.
Due to the increasing number of corona cases, the nursing staff is currently reaching the limit again.
For their tireless efforts, it should now be compensated with a bonus, as NRW state chief Hendrik Wüst (CDU) suggests.
Health Minister and party colleague Jens Spahn (CDU) does not consider the sum mentioned to be appropriate and demands at least ten times that amount.
Coronavirus: Nurses at the attack - NRW boss Wüst suggests bonus
Wüst brought up a sum of at least 500 euros for the planned Corona bonus for nurses according to the Corona summit paper.
"When we are at 500 euros, that's a signal, but it has to be and that will also resonate with the people," he said on Friday on TV channel
Bild Live
.
The payment "must be noticeable," he emphasized.
In their talks on Thursday, the federal and state governments agreed that nurses - similar to last year - should receive a financial bonus due to the particular burden of the corona pandemic.
The specific amount was initially open.
As Spahn explained in his press conference with RKI boss Lothar Wieler on Friday, this point was not even discussed.
The federal states asked the federal government to provide the necessary financial resources.
We don't need to pay them a few hundred euros, then they would be frustrated, and rightly so.
Health Minister Jens Spahn
Coronavirus: Health Minister Spahn calls for a generous bonus for nurses
The outgoing Health Minister Jens Spahn (CDU) said that he considered a sum of "5000 euros plus X" to be appropriate.
This applies not only to the nursing staff, all other employees such as cleaning staff have a "really heavy burden" with the Covid 19 patients in the intensive care units, said Spahn.
"And this is the fourth time they have done that," he added, referring to the fourth corona wave.
“We don't need to pay them a few hundred euros, then they would be frustrated, and rightly so.” The “traffic light coalition” ultimately has to decide on the amount of the premium.
Last year, nurses in the hospitals received a one-time bonus of up to 1,000 euros.
In the care of the elderly, the premium was up to 1,500 euros.
Spahn recently admitted a fatal mistake with regard to his crisis management in the pandemic.
(ck / AFP)
