Time for senior doctors to taste their own medicine

In my letter, “Pre-internship exams: A Tale of ageism,” published on October 7, I called out senior doctors for blocking younger professionals from entering and progressing in the medical field through abuse, belittlement, and sheer career sabotage. 

President Museveni’s recent letter to the minister of Public Service, dated October 26, hinting at reconsidering moonlighting by government doctors in the private sector, has caused panic among senior doctors, the specialists. Senior doctors have long benefited from having it both ways, much like military officers who, while funded by their own nation, secretly work as mercenaries abroad, exploiting taxpayers at home.

Despite being silent on issues affecting their juniors, senior health officers, interns and medical graduates, the specialists, fearing for their financial security, now suddenly have the voices to decry the meagre government salaries.

When the government is asked to hire more doctors, they look at their employment records and believe the numbers are fair. But where are the numbers when patients are left in distress, crying out for help without even a “sorry, what’s the problem?” Senior doctors are in private hospitals raking in substantial sums from patients who, unable to find them in public facilities, are forced to seek their services elsewhere at exorbitant rates. This practice is self-serving, depicts the medical profession in bad light and hindering job opportunities for others.

While government doctors deserve better pay, many specialists are indifferent to the insufficient pay, knowing they can always secure hefty cheques from private facilities. They remain in public service solely for pension benefits while their loyalty lies with private institutions. 

This might be a hard truth, but instead of accepting to be on government payroll and earn far less than the private sector gives them, government specialists should consider leaving public service altogether. This would allow those doctors who are genuinely dedicated to the public sector to advocate for dignified compensation.

Otherwise, it’s a tall order for the juniors, who carry the burden while seniors profit elsewhere, to fight for better wages while their superiors remain silent, reveling in the perks of private practice and cruising around in SUVs. 

How can the public believe government doctors are underpaid when some flaunt almost ridiculous wealth from private practice? 

Let senior doctors fully commit to private practice, and allow a clear distinction between the compensation of public and private sector workers, without distorting the narrative.

Pensions are not the only retirement option; private practice offers NSSF benefits. The decision between public service and private practice should be as clear-cut as an exam that asks you to choose between A or B. Senior doctors, despite their rank, cannot select both.

Karma, naturally, moves in its own time, never one to leave a debt unsettled. It reminds me of that well-known poem by Martin Niemöller—allow me to twist it just slightly. First, the junior doctors called for better pay, and the seniors said nothing. 

Then, the interns asked for better working conditions, and still, the seniors held their silence. Then some bullies set their sights on medical graduates, pushing for intrusive pre-internship exams, belittling their qualifications and casting doubt on their training. 

The senior doctors aligned themselves with the bullies, silent as the defenseless medical graduates sought internship placements. But now the tide has shifted, and the seniors’ reckoning has arrived. The era of silence is over, and the consequences are knocking at their door.

Ssekyonda Zeddekia, Ugandan medical doctor