A prescription for your future
This post was written by a student. It has not been fact checked or edited.
The world is facing a lot of problems, some that we all share and others that are specific for certain cultures or parts of the world. An issue we can’t deny is the fact that at some point or other we'll all need healthcare. This is why we should all be concerned about doctor shortages. However, I know that different countries have different problems and some things I found out in our discussions were really surprising to me. The thing that surprised me the most was that countries like the UK and USA have their problems, because we consider these countries to be quite rich.
The different healthcare systems face problems because some do not pay their doctors enough, others don't have good or accessible enough education so becoming a doctor is next to impossible; some don’t have enough money to buy equipment or supplies, others don’t have enough doctors as it's seen as a difficult profession...so they can’t offer their patients the time they need.
There have been a lot of discussions about giving more money to the health system. But money is not always the answer. Or, if it is, you have to know how to use it. For example, poorer countries do not have doctors because students go to university and then they go to work abroad, in richer countries. This is how rich countries benefit, without spending their own money on training doctors. So a potential answer could be agreements between governments so that poorer countries are compensated. And richer countries should start training more of their own doctors instead of limiting the number of students for medical universities. This would also solve the problem of overwork. A lot of doctors feel they are overworked, which is why they quit their jobs. Having more doctors means shortening their working hours and allowing them to have a life.
In addition, there are people who miss their appointments. Some would think that it’s not an issue, but it actually is a waste of resources. People who waste doctors’ time should be fined.
Lastly, we pay taxes so that the quality of hospitals, doctors and nurses can increase. Maybe we should all pay more attention and vote for the politicians who are most likely to spend our money on the healthcare system.
Comments (6)
What a well written standpoint. I especially like the phrase' money is not always the answer'. Throwing money at a problem normally results in a short-term fix but does not always address the systemic issue. Highly skilled medical workers may study in their home country and then permanently work abroad. This is an example of the term 'brain drain'. You suggest poorer countries could be compensated but what would you suggest that money is used for, as money does not immediately change the volume of medical skills or expertise available in the home country? What do you think about spending the money on the issues that may be causing people to leave the home country in the first place?
I'm not sure about this because... unfortunately, there is not just one right answer. For example, in some countries they don't have enough doctors or nurses, but they also don't have jobs for doctors or nurses. This is because there is a lot of corruption and jobs are given to relatives and friends. So one way to spend the money is to make everything transparent so that jobs and also promotions are given to those who deserve them. Also, in Romania there are certain categories, like construction workers and IT people who don't pay taxes. If this is applied to doctors, then their salaries can increase.
This money can be used to create more jobs in the country because you find that most of the people that leave their home country go to look for jobs just because the jobs in their country aren't enough. Some of this money should be donated to the needy who do not have money to provide for themselves basic needs so that they can start their own small businesses where they can earn a living. This money can also be used to increase on the salaries of the employees in the country because people leave their home country just to look for high paying jobs like for example here in Uganda their are companies that take people the Arab Countries to work as drivers, maids, waitresses and so on thinking that they are going to earn a lot of money. Not knowing that they are going to be tortured there mostly those who go to work as maids they treated like slaves and this is what we call modern slavery in simple terms. That's why I would even advise the government to ban such companies because most people actually don't come back when they go there and when they are to come back they come back with less money compared to what they were earning in their home country.
I also think they should use the money to improve on the education sector so that the uneducated can get a chance to learn because you realize that most of the people who take these jobs from other countries actually dropped out of school like in Primary seven or even Senior four and also the government should also increase the salary for the teachers that work in UPE schools( in our country these are government founded schools where children learn for free) so that these teachers can put in more effort in teaching these children so that they can get grades that can help them take the courses they want in future.
I see your point idealistic_song, but my discussion was about doctors. Of course countries with better education have better wellbeing, but as the current crises is showing us, even countries with very good education have huge problems with doctor shortages. So the question is how do we solve this specific problem and why are doctors leaving even from countries where they are paid well?
WHY ARE DOCTORS LEAVING COUNTRIES EVEN WHERE THEY ARE PAID WELL?
You find that these doctors are made to work long hours and they don't get enough time to rest yet they have to wake up early to go to work. These doctors don't have holidays or are not even given days off to spend time with their families and these doctors are also human beings and they need to refresh their minds. You also find that these doctors are not recognized in a country that's why they take their services to other countries where they are recognized.
WHAT SHOULD THE GOVERNMENT DO TO PREVENT THESE DOCTORS FROM LEAVING THE COUNTRY?
The government should reduce the hours that doctors work so that they can have enough rest. Like they can even make a schedule for some to work day shift then others on night shift. The government should also allow the doctors to have holidays and days off so that they can fresh their brains and spend time with their families. The government should also recognize the doctors in the country by maybe dedicating a day for them. Then also hospitals can award these doctors with appraisals like Doctor of the Month so that this can motivate them to put in more effort in their work and make them love their job.
I do understand the point which you are making that money answers everything but everything does not answer money. Better health facilities can be built and more wages can be paid but the welfare of the doctors cannot be catered with money even if some people can say it can, the recognition and appreciation they deserve needs to be shown and felt not bought.
It is true that doctors need to feel appreciated and rewarded based on their work, that is why I made my point about making the system transparent. Doctors leave from Romania precisely because they don't get promoted and recognised for their work, because there is corruption and those who are less competent but have friends in the system get the rewards instead. This is just one way of dealing with doctors wellbeing. Another way is to get more people to work in the system, because if not, doctors get to burnout very fast. And this is not just in my country. COVID showed us how many countries face a lot of problems. In Sweden doctors were leaving their jobs because of burnout.
Hi bright_wallaby, you spoke about the problems doctors face in Romania and Sweden. Can you tell us where you found your evidence for this?
A lot of people had to stay home because of the pandemic so the news were always on. I remember about a Romanian doctor from Sweden talking about the crises there. I found an article about it but I can't access it all. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-12-12/swedish-covid-workers-are-quitting-leaving-icus-short-staffed?leadSource=uverify%20wall
About Romania, my mum says that we all know someone in the system, it's like a known fact which is recognised by everybody. I also have an article about this, but again, I can't read it all: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/mass-exodus-why-corruption-in-romania-s-healthcare-system-is-forcing-its-doctors-to-work-abroad-9035108.html
What other non-financial things could we do to ensure the welfare of doctors?
the future doctor report outlines how education and training might change to be better prepare our future doctors to meet population needs in a health care environment that i always involving in order to provide a clear picture of what the pubic expects from our future doctors HEE's future doctor program. covid 19 demonstrated how multidisciplinary.
I agree because all of the points you discussed have been really valid! This is a really good standpoint but I feel you could have added the point that many doctors just move to another country. Thank you for your amazing standpoint! It's been really entertaining and actually quite inspiring!
Not only voting politicians who will love to spend their money on health care system but also advice youths who study medicine on the advantage in staying in their country to work.
This is a very interesting situation, I always thought "Be a doctors" was something that you felt, not something linked to money. However I'd like to raise the point where people shouldn't be forced to work long hours under pressure. The discipline should have some sort of enhanced benefits. What do you think?