Home » Diseases Can't Go On Strike; Why Can Doctors?

Diseases Can't Go On Strike; Why Can Doctors?

Posted: Sunday, April 27, 2008

by Shan-ul-Hai
Globally Rational

Disease can't go on strike; why can doctors?

Anybody familiar with the US medical system would completely support New Zealand's junior doctors in their oncoming strike. After all, American resident physicians (our counterpart to the Australian "junior doctor") are overworked (recently, the government limited the work week to 80 hours) and underpaid (~$40,000/year) despite the fact that they're licensed physicians. They also get no vacation and no time to themselves. I think it's about time that they expect more.

Here's why you'd be wrong: Junior physicians in New Zealand make twice as much money (~$88,000/year) in much less time (50-60 hrs/week) than their American counterparts. They also get 6 weeks of vacation every year and 2 weeks off for conferences. They're going on strike, without much regard for the 1,000 patients who will be left without medical care thanks to the already understaffed hospitals, for 48 hours. The reason is because their colleagues in Australia make a little bit more money than they do.

Here are some reasons why the resident physicians in Australia deserve more money than those in New Zealand:

Australia's cities have a higher cost of living than New Zealand's.
Australia's per-capita GDP is 40% higher than New Zealand's, meaning that an average Australian makes 40% more money than an average New Zealander. Why should doctors be an exception?
It's harder to become a doctor in Australia now, as most Australian schools are moving towards graduate medical programs rather than undergraduate programs.
Citizens of both countries are allowed to freely travel (and work) in either of the two, so any physician in New Zealand could work in Australia if he/she was able to get a job if they're in New Zealand, that means one of two things:

(1) They don't want to go to a more expensive country just to make more money.

(2) They can't get a job in Australia because they didn't do well enough in medical school.

The junior doctors in New Zealand want a 40% pay increase over the next 3 years. Apparently, they believe that they should make just as much money as people who are in a more expensive country and spent more time in school.

If that's how things will go, then American resident physicians are the one who really deserve a raise here, we have the highest cost of living (of the three countries), the most difficult medical admissions process (requiring a full 4-year bachelor's degree before you can go to med school), the most demanding medical school curriculum (medical students rarely have a social life), and the longest residency work hours (70 hrs/week).

Not surprisingly, New Zealand's medical curriculum doesn't include a class in economics.

Shan-ul-Hai, the chief author of Globally Rational, is a self-described cosmopolitan scientist. His articles typically involve the application of evidence-based logic to some of the world's most interesting and thought-provoking affairs. His background as a Pakistani-American supplements his training as a scientist and his skill as a writer, leading to a myriad of of unique perspectives.

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Top-level comments on this article: (1 total)

» left by Jennifer Cuddy
3 years 276 days ago.
42 fans.

i'm not convinced. your article is too short.

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