Bonus for nurses: Lauterbach with a declaration of intent that many will not like

Created: 01/05/2022, 12:36 PM

By: Patrick Freiwah

Nursing staff have to do extraordinary things in Corona times.

The Ministry of Health would like to recognize the services with a bonus.

However, this does not apply to all.

Berlin - Corona has been keeping the world in suspense for almost two years. Nobody knows the exact end of the pandemic yet, but according to some experts it should at least become apparent. The occupational group that has undoubtedly suffered most from the pandemic since 2020 is that of the medical nursing professions. In view of the increase in patients due to the rampant wave of Covid-19 disease, nurses are faced with extreme conditions.

The Federal Ministry of Health will provide financial compensation for this in the form of a care bonus.

As head of department Karl Lauterbach (SPD) now explained, he only wants to pay the planned bonus payment to a limited group of nursing staff.

"The care bonus should be paid primarily to care workers who were particularly stressed in the corona pandemic," the new Federal Minister of Health told the

.

"Then the bonus can also be set in a significant amount," the Social Democrat continued. 

Care bonus 2022 only for workers with special corona exposure

In their coalition agreement, the traffic light parties agreed to provide one billion euros for a new bonus for nurses in homes and hospitals.

The tax exemption of the care bonus should increase to 3000 euros.

As Lauterbach explained, “this is the only way to really appreciate the special performance of nursing staff”.

The 58-year-old also emphasized that those workers “sometimes took personal risk when caring for their patients”.

The new Health Minister Karl Lauterbach at a federal press conference in Berlin.

© Chris Emil Janssen / Imago

The bonus money for nursing staff in German hospitals is to be paid out in the first quarter of 2022. Whether the stressful situation for workers in nursing homes and hospitals will end after Corona is questionable: After all, the human resources in the health sector were already there before the start the pandemic is often on the verge of overload.

At least the social framework for nursing staff in Germany has already changed.