Well, you might develop this opinion about me that I am biased, well in all honesty, yes I am. I am of the opinion that doctors particularly me, should make gazillion of dollars. Now that I have already given the disclaimer, here are a few reasons why I Think that physicians pay should not be any lower.
1) Doctors Offer a Noble Service to Mankind
One needs to understand that what doctors are doing is essentially valuable. We do hear people whining all the time about the high costs associated with healthcare, where few may also argue that one should bag the entire thing altogether. However, what doctors do on a daily basis is honestly very valuable and noble. They work to help ease pain, improve lifespan, and offer quality care that ultimately leads to a better lifestyle.
Yes, I do agree that the healthcare sector itself is dealing with a lot of problems, and there might also be certain doctors out there who are sabotaging the dignity of the profession. But, all in all, the services rendered by physicians have high economic value. Thus, the individuals who working day are in and day out also need to be compensated accordingly.
2) Commitment At A Rather Tender Age
For any individual, their 20s and 30s are the prime years of their life. You are enjoying your best, you can function even on little sleep, have the energy to bounce back after a tough day, and are also free from the cumbersome responsibilities of nurturing a family. As a doctor, when you complete your residency, you will get a feeling that you may have halted your life for five or maybe fifteen years. You will miss opportunities, lose friends and often be deprived of cute romantic affairs. Simply, you will also miss upon your best friend's wedding, family vacations, loved ones funeral, etc. Therefore, after all the sacrifices and compromises you make during your early years, if you are still not compensated fairly, the brighter students will never want to enter this strenuous field.
3) Our Job As A Doctor Comes With Its Fair Share Of Difficulties
It is basic knowledge and understanding that one needs to be compensated well to perform a tough job. A fisherman working commercially will never risk his/her life if they are paid minimum wages. Similarly, a soldier will not render his duties at borders or wars unless they are compensated fairly. Therefore, the thumb rule is rather simple, if you want someone to do a tedious or difficult job, you will have to pay them accordingly.
So for instance, if a job requires their staff to work for long odd hours or involved great stress, it will eventually pay the worker more. Similarly, when you order the field of medicine, you are under constant stress that you may diagnose or treat someone wrong leading to the death or critical condition of a patient. Moreover, you also work for long strenuous hours affecting your health and social life. In simpler words, medical is a difficult field that requires commitment, dedication, hard work, ability to multitask, intelligence, spontaneous decision making skills and most importantly patience and resilience. Therefore, it deserves to be compensated adequately.
4) Trainings Are Extremely Expensive
If you opt for something that does not require intensive training, then it is fair to expect that a job that require intensive training that spans across months and years should be paid accordingly. As a doctor, you not only commit a few years, rather you commit your entire life to learning and growth. With science advancing and diseases mutating every passing day, the learning spectrum of a doctor is rather lifelong.
Today, certain specialties in medicine are not preferred by graduates as they are not that high paying in comparison to their counterparts. This isn't fair! Every field of medicine is important and doctors shouldn't be forced to choose another field just because it doesn't match their financial expectations.
As a society, we need to prioritize ourselves. If we start putting doctors below businessmen and professionals, we will all go down the rabbit hole. With COVID-19, one thing is for sure, we cannot compromise on our healthcare infrastructure.