Doctors Quitting by the Thousands Amid the Strain of the Pandemic
Doctors are quitting by the thousands under the stress of the pandemic. They are exposed everyday to contagious individuals for a dozen hours a day or more. They may be exposed to hundreds of ill patients a day. They are worried about catching the illness themselves and then giving it to their family members. Many doctors and healthcare workers are represented in the death statistics of those patient deaths secondary to the COVID pandemic. They are terrified that they themselves or family members with medical conditions will die secondary to their sacrifices to save the human race. As a result of COVID and the fears generated, over 10% of doctors in this country have quit or retired in the last few months alone. The numbers will surely climb given the ongoing public apathy for COVID prevention strategies and the rising number of coronavirus cases.
The truth is that the public at large has acted in a very selfish manner that has generated millions upon millions of infections, and they have still not learned their lesson. However, the moment the sickness is established within one of them they demand healthcare immediately and expect that health care professionals will sacrifice their lives and the lives of their families for them. It is truly a thankless job and the irresponsible public may likely create a scenario in which the most skilled and smartest people in society will no longer be available when death looms on the doorstep.
There is certainly no incentive to being doctors in this day and age given the reduced pay, rising malpractice costs, legal threats, and mounting bureaucratic responsibilities. Doctors were overworked and burned out before the pandemic. Now, the pandemic has created what doctors had threatened for the last 3 decades – a doctor shortage. The truth is that being a doctor for most is simply no longer worth the stress or risk.