We keep asking why doctors are leaving the public health care system. Perhaps we should start by asking ourselves: what are we doing to make them stay?
Doctors are already overworked. We work weekends, nights, public holidays and on call. We have worked through the Covid-19 pandemic, through staff shortages and overwhelming workloads, often with promises of better recognition and additional leave that many felt never fully materialised.
Yet we continue to measure commitment by how long a doctor remains physically in the hospital. It is time to rethink that.
A working day should not be about sitting in the hospital until the clock says 5pm. I propose that normal working hours be 7.30am to 4pm, with genuine flexibility.
