25.05.2022
THE DAMAGE IS UNDERESTIMATED: COVID-19 IS ALREADY THE MOST COMMON DISEASE AMONG WORKERS
Nearly 5 million working days have been lost to the Bulgarian economy as a result of COVID - crisis last year alone. Every tenth sick leave issued during the year is due to this disease, and together with the increased quarantine by more than 50% and the cases not confirmed by clinical trials, their share is probably even higher.
Thus, COVID-19 last year became the most common disease (fourth position a year earlier) and hospitalized for it are 50% more than the second most common disease.
This follows from the statistics of the National Social Security Institute (NSSI) for the sick leaves paid in 2021. The figures released by the institute outline another aspect of the pandemic, which closed some businesses, disrupted supply chains and showed a lack of willingness on the part of the authorities to set emergency rules.
The National Social Security Institute does not break down the amount of funds paid for patients with different diagnoses, but the amounts paid under this item can be judged by the average compensation, which amounts to BGN 42 per day.
Employers commented that the high morbidity during the pandemic was linked to the disbursement of significant funds that had worsened the "fragile financial health" of companies, and the damage suffered by businesses would remain underestimated. They also noted a number of side effects from the spread of the coronavirus, such as mental trauma to the workforce. And they insist that the state has a pre-prepared plan of action in the conditions of a pandemic, which is coordinated and lost with the competent departments, organizations and businesses, so that wrong organizational decisions are not reached, as at the beginning of the pandemic.
Every tenth sick leave is because of COVID-19
In 2021, 797,813 people (26.22% of those insured in the General Sickness and Maternity Fund) were paid benefits for nearly BGN 600 million for common disease. Their sick leaves are 1.68 million in 14.4 million working days. In 2020, the National Social Security Institute paid BGN 535.6 million for nearly 14 million working days. For 2019, the amount paid is BGN 489.2 million for 14.3 million working days.
Identified COVID-19 has the highest share last year, ahead of acute infections of the upper respiratory tract and bronchitis. For the period, 283,484 such hospitals were issued with an average duration of 17.6 days, which makes 10.05% of the total number and 50% more than the second most important diagnosis.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, the World Health Organization has introduced new codes for medical reporting of COVID-19. The virus was identified when COVID-19 was confirmed by laboratory testing, regardless of the severity of clinical signs or symptoms.
When the virus is unidentified, medical professionals issue a medical certificate with a different code. In these cases, the disease is diagnosed clinically or epidemiologically, but laboratory tests are inconclusive or not available, according to information from the Ministry of Health. Such are another 72,409 cases last year. Their average duration is again relatively high - 10.9 days.
In 2020, in the first year of the epidemic, hospitals for identified COVID-19 were fourth in number - 113,914 with a share of 4.29%. There were 32,198 people with unidentified COVID-19 during this period.
Thus, last year both types of COVID hospitals have more than doubled compared to 2020.
According to the ordinance of the health authorities, which was in force in 2021, people with an official positive result (from a test done in a certified laboratory) were subject to 14-day isolation, and their contact - to 10-day quarantine. Earlier this year, this rule was changed and the deadlines are now 10 and 7 days, respectively.
According to the Social Security Code, the benefit for the first 3 working days of temporary incapacity for work is paid by the employer and represents 70% of the average daily gross remuneration. The remaining days are paid by the NSSI (80% of the salary).
And quarantine benefits are increasing
During the year, over BGN 109 million were paid to 367,122 people (12.07%) for caring for a sick person or quarantine. Again, no breakdown by type of disease is made, but available data show a significant increase in hospitalizations for this reason.
For 2020, the total number of people with paid benefits for caring for a sick person or quarantine is 239,315, and 318,650 sick leaves have been issued to them. Thus, the increase in this group is more than 50%. It is even higher than in 2019, when less than 105,000 people received such benefits.
From 2022, parents of students under 12 who do not attend school due to quarantine will be entitled to sick leave - read here.
The reaction of the business
"Most companies have certainly taken stock, but hospital losses are far from the only ones," said Dobrin Ivanov, executive director of Bulgaria's Industrial Capital Association.
"The biggest losses are probably from lost profits. A separate issue is that the COVID wave has also caused some mental trauma to various segments of the workforce. There are in-depth studies on this issue in different countries. They may to some extent "They are also extrapolated to the Bulgarian reality, but the truth is that a large part of the losses are difficult to estimate. In practice, the damage suffered by the business will remain underestimated," he said.
According to him, the pandemic has aggravated the problem with the payment of the first three days of sick leave at the expense of the business, but does not expect this to lead to a rethinking of this rule.
Asked whether the state and business should be better prepared for possible future similar situations, Ivanov said that in many countries such scenarios related to any possible disasters are being developed by national security specialists and mathematicians.
Prof. Grigor Dimitrov, director general at the Employers' Interests Center at the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce, said the high incidence during the pandemic was linked to the disbursement of significant funds that had worsened the "fragile financial health" of companies.
According to him, it is imperative that the state has a pre-prepared action plan in the event of a pandemic, which is coordinated and lost with the competent agencies and organizations.
"The lack of such a plan, as was the case in our situation, led to many contradictory and often ill-considered decisions and actions of the government, which hindered the business in its activities and were associated with significant losses for him," said Dimitrov. points around the settlements at the first "lockdown". "Along with this, it is necessary to create practice and targeted training to help businesses prepare their own action plans in such situations," he added.
COVID-19 becomes an occupational disease
The European Union will recognize coronavirus infection as an occupational disease according to an agreement reached between European countries and representatives of trade unions and employers, the European Commission announced on Thursday (May 19th).
The Commission will recommend that COVID-19 be included in the lists of occupational diseases in European countries by the end of the year in the health, social care and home care sectors and, in the event of a pandemic, in outbreak sectors. of the disease in activities with a proven risk of infection.
The change will allow workers who became infected while working with COVID-19 to receive rights, including compensation, if provided for by national law.
According to the Bulgarian legislation and according to the terms and conditions set by the Social Security Code, in case of an accident at work and occupational disease the insured or their heirs are entitled to cash benefits for temporary incapacity for work, cash benefits for employment, personal or survivor's disability pension, cash benefits for prevention and rehabilitation and one-time assistance in case of death.
