Arab Press

بالشعب و للشعب
Saturday, Jul 05, 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
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Russia Formally Recognizes Taliban Government in Afghanistan
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Mediators Edge Closer to Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Agreement
Germany Seeks Taliban Deal to Deport Afghan Migrants
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Iran Executes Alleged Israeli Spies and Arrests Hundreds Amid Post-War Crackdown
Trump Asserts Readiness for Further Strikes on Iran Amid Nuclear Tensions
Qatar Airways Clears Backlog of Passengers Following Missile Threats
Iran's Parliament Votes to Suspend Cooperation with Nuclear Watchdog
Trump Announces Upcoming US-Iran Meeting Amid Controversial Airstrikes
Trump Moves to Reshape Middle East Following Israel-Iran Conflict
NATO Leaders Endorse Plan for Increased Defence Spending
U.S. Crude Oil Prices Drop Below $65 Amid Market Volatility
“You Have 12 Hours to Flee”: Israeli Threat Campaign Targets Surviving Iranian Officials
Oman Set to Introduce Personal Income Tax, First in Gulf
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Trump Praises Iran’s ‘Very Weak’ Response After U.S. Strikes and Presses Israel to Pursue Peace
WATCH: Israeli forces show the aftermath of a massive airstrike at Iran's Isfahan nuclear site
We have new information and breaking details to share about what is shaping up to be a historic air campaign tonight
Six Massive Bombs Dropped on Fordow; Trump: 'A Historic Moment for the U.S., Israel, and the World'
Fordow: Deeply Buried Iranian Enrichment Site in U.S.–Israel Crosshairs
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Pakistan to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize.
Israel Confirms Assassination of Quds Force Commander in Tehran
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
G7 Leaders Fail to Reach Consensus on Key Global Issues
Mass exodus in Tehran as millions try to flee following Trump’s evacuation order
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
Analysts Warn Iran May Resort to Unconventional Warfare
Iranian Regime Faces Existential Threat Amid Conflict
Energy Infrastructure Becomes War Zone in Middle East
Iran Conducts Ballistic Missile Launches Amid Heightened Tensions with Israel
Iran Signals Openness to Nuclear Negotiations Amid Ongoing Regional Tensions
Shock Within Iran’s Leadership: Khamenei’s Failed Plan to Launch 1,000 Missiles Against Israel
UK Deploys Jets to Middle East Amid Rising Tensions
Exiled Iranian Prince Reza Pahlavi Urges Overthrow of Khamenei Regime
Wreck of $17 Billion San José Galleon Identified Off Colombia After 300 Years
Iran Launches Extensive Missile Attack on Israel Following Israeli Strikes on Nuclear Sites
Israel Issues Ultimatum to Iran Over Potential Retaliation and Nuclear Facilities
×