Arab Press

بالشعب و للشعب
Saturday, May 31, 2025

You Know What Would Help Exhausted Doctors and Nurses? More Money!

You Know What Would Help Exhausted Doctors and Nurses? More Money!

As health care workers prepare to enter the third year of the pandemic, we are experiencing disillusionment and burnout on an extraordinary scale. Many of us have confronted more death and sickness than ever before in our careers.
As a physician at a teaching hospital that was one of the hardest hit in New York, I have witnessed firsthand the mayhem that this pandemic has brought on. Some of my colleagues harbor frustration and even anger at patients who have chosen to remain unvaccinated or not wear masks and now are hospitalized with Covid-19, imposing additional risks to us and our families.

In this environment, attrition is inevitable. A survey of health care workers in the second half of 2020 found that 1 in 5 doctors and even more nurses were considering leaving their practice within two years. Today, hospitals are dealing with staffing shortages even as we work amid another viral surge.

Federal and state governments can and should do something to help. They should start by providing hazard pay to health care workers who continue to serve on the front lines of the pandemic.

Hazard pay is defined by the U.S. Labor Department as “additional pay for performing hazardous duty or work involving physical hardship.” Federal employees who work directly with “virulent biologicals” like the coronavirus may already qualify for such pay. A 25 percent hazard bonus is authorized for federal employees working directly with or close to substances “of micro-organic nature which when introduced into the body are likely to cause serious disease or fatality and for which protective devices do not afford complete protection.”

This definition certainly reflects the situation of health care workers in emergency rooms, intensive care units and medical wards today. The World Health Organization estimates that more than 100,000 health care workers may have died of Covid-19 between January 2020 and May 2021.

Though hazard pay won’t eliminate our professional risk, it will serve as a concrete and much-needed demonstration of appreciation to the doctors, nurses, respiratory technicians and other workers who continue to put their lives — and the health of their families — on the line for the public good.

In Congress, Democrats as well as Republicans have proposed legislation for federally funded hazard pay for health workers, but no bill has been passed into law. In May 2020, the House of Representatives passed a relief package called the Heroes Act that authorized $200 billion in hazard pay for essential workers — but it fizzled out in the Senate in the absence of sufficient Republican support. That same month, Senator Mitt Romney, Republican of Utah, proposed a “Patriot Pay” bonus for essential workers up to $12 an hour for three months. His proposal was also not approved.

Some states, such as Pennsylvania, have provided limited hazard pay using federal money from the $2.2 trillion pandemic relief bill that Congress passed in March 2020. Other states, including Massachusetts and Maine, have negotiated with unions to offer hazard pay to health workers in state facilities. Yet any bonuses offered have been modest, sporadic and temporary.

I am not under the illusion that hazard pay will cure the burnout and disaffection that is widespread in health care. Some of it undoubtedly predates the pandemic. However, hazard pay would recognize the outsize burdens that have been placed on health care providers working in once-in-a-century circumstances and acknowledge that society has an obligation to compensate us for our sacrifices.

Moreover, much of the essential work in hospitals is performed by low-wage workers — medical trainees, nursing assistants, custodians and orderlies — who often scarcely earn a living wage to support a family. The custodian who cleans the exam rooms in our clinic earns less than $20 an hour. Hazard pay for such workers could make a real financial difference.

How should such pay be provided? First, Congress must make federal funds available for this purpose. Then, states should determine eligibility criteria and wage thresholds. The most straightforward policy would be to include all health workers (medical and nonmedical) in facilities in Covid-19 hot spots.

To keep things simple and not penalize low-wage workers, the bonuses should be a fixed amount of money, rather than a percentage of pay, and should be authorized on a monthly or quarterly basis to discourage attrition. They should continue to be paid until there is a sustained reduction in hospitalizations. If funds are scarce, eligibility could be limited for those at the highest end of the pay scale — typically attending physicians like me.

Whatever the specific plan, for many health care workers the exact amount will not be as important as the gratitude and acknowledgment that it represents. Medicine is a humanitarian profession, and health care workers have a duty to care for the sick. But social order also relies on reciprocity and fairness.

Hazard pay would publicly acknowledge health care workers’ sacrifices and provide a tangible token of thanks beyond the clapping of hands or the public banging of pots and pans. This is about showing support, just as we do for our troops during war.


=============
* Dr. Jauhar is a cardiologist in New York who writes frequently about medical care and public health.
Comments

mike 3 year ago
Don't listen to what Bill Gates and the WHO say. Listen to the experience of the incorruptible experts.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Arab Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
EU Central Bank Pushes to Replace US Dollar with Euro as World’s Main Currency
European and Arab Ministers Convene in Madrid to Address Gaza Conflict
Head of Gaza Aid Group Resigns Amid Humanitarian Concerns
U.S. Health Secretary Ends Select COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations
Trump Warns Putin Is 'Playing with Fire' Amid Escalating Ukraine Conflict
India and Pakistan Engage Trump-Linked Lobbyists to Influence U.S. Policy
U.S. Halts New Student Visa Interviews Amid Enhanced Security Measures
Trump Administration Cancels $100 Million in Federal Contracts with Harvard
SpaceX Starship Test Flight Ends in Failure, Mars Mission Timeline Uncertain
King Charles Affirms Canadian Sovereignty Amid U.S. Statehood Pressure
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Founder Warns Against Trusting Regime in Nuclear Talks
Netanyahu Accuses Starmer of Siding with Hamas
Calls Grow to Resume Syrian Asylum Claims in UK
UAE Offers Free ChatGPT Plus Subscriptions to Citizens
Denmark Increases Retirement Age to 70, Setting a European Precedent
Iranian Director Jafar Panahi Wins Palme d'Or at Cannes
Israeli Airstrike Kills Nine Children of Gaza Doctor
Lebanon Initiates Plan to Disarm Palestinian Factions
Iran and U.S. Make Limited Progress in Nuclear Talks
Trump Administration's Tariff Policies and Dollar Strategy Spark Global Economic Debate
OpenAI Acquires Jony Ive’s Startup for $6.5 Billion to Build a Revolutionary “Third Core Device”
Turkey Weighs Citizens in Public as Erdoğan Launches National Slimming Campaign
UK Suspends Trade Talks with Israel Amid Gaza Offensive
Iran and U.S. Set for Fifth Round of Nuclear Talks Amid Rising Tensions
Russia Expands Military Presence Near Finland Amid Rising Tensions
Indian Scholar Arrested in Crackdown Over Pakistan Conflict Commentary
Israel Eases Gaza Blockade Amid Internal Dispute Over Military Strategy
President Biden’s announcement of advanced prostate cancer sparked public sympathy—but behind closed doors, Democrats are in panic
Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki Erupts Again, Spewing Ash Cloud over Flores Island
Indian jet shootdown: the all-robot legion behind China’s PL-15E missiles
The Chinese Dragon: The True Winner in the India-Pakistan Clash
Australia's Venomous Creatures Contribute to Life-Saving Antivenom Programme
The Spanish Were Right: Long Working Hours Harm Brain Function
Did Former FBI Director Call for Violence Against Trump? Instagram Post Sparks Uproar
US and UAE Partner to Develop Massive AI Data Center Complex
Apple's $95 Million Siri Settlement: Eligible Users Have Until July 2 to File Claims
US and UAE Reach Preliminary Agreement on Nvidia AI Chip Imports
President Trump and Elon Musk Welcomed by Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim with Cybertruck Convoy
Strong Warning Issued: Do Not Use General Chatbots for Medical, Legal, or Educational Guidance
NVIDIA and Saudi Arabia Launch Strategic Partnership to Establish AI Centers
Trump Meets Syrian President Ahmad al-Shara in Historic Encounter
US and Saudi Arabia Sign Landmark Agreements Across Multiple Sectors
Why Saudi Arabia Rolled Out a Purple Carpet for Donald Trump Instead of Red
Elon Musk Joins Trump Meeting in Saudi Arabia
Trump says it would be 'stupid' not to accept gift of Qatari plane
Quantum Computing Threatens Bitcoin Security
Michael Jordan to Serve as Analyst for NBA Games
Senate Democrats Move to Censure Trump Over Qatar Jet Gift
Hamas Releases Last Living US Hostage from Gaza Amid Ongoing Conflict
×