The article considers and justifies the need to change the system of motivation and incentives for the work of medical workers in the Russian healthcare system in the context of new socio-economic conditions and the growth of professional risks in the medical field. The COVID-19 pandemic, which has lasted for more than a year, has exposed significant shortcomings in the system of motivation of medical workers, showing serious problems consisting in a shortage of specialists, hospital beds, medicines, and an increase in professional workload. As a result, of the analysis of statistical data and the conducted sociological survey, a system of key socio-psychological factors and motivational indicators of the work of medical workers was developed, and ways to optimize the system of their labor motivation were identified.