Doctors ask for more reductions in working hours and leave without pay due to the covid

The coronavirus pandemic has brought with it an increase, within the medical community, of the reductions in working hours, the work leave and the requests of change of workplace. The toilets drag discomfort from the cuts a decade ago and covid-19 has only aggravated the situation. “There are a lot of lack of motivation. Even so, the majority, despite being very ill, do not want to stop being doctors, “he says. David Arribas, union deputy general secretary Doctors of Catalonia and a family doctor at the Manso primary care center (CAP) in Barcelona.

Metges de Catalunya published a month ago a study, as a result of a survey conducted among 2,716 physicians associated with the union, which reflects that 70% of the profession suffers from ‘burnout’ or burned worker syndrome. This is characterized by a feeling of fatigue important, a lot demotivation and a strange feeling of depersonalization. On a practical level, the sufferer feels much anguish as a result of stress caused by their work. “This study highlights what we already knew,” says Arribas. The incidence of ‘burnout’ is also especially significant among the primary care physicians.

Arribas explains that it is difficult to know how many doctors decide to leave the profession because the administrations do not offer figures and, in addition, it varies from one to another. It is not, in any case, a widespread phenomenon in Spain. “But we do know that the vast majority of the time they occur three situations. One, the person asks for one reduction of working hours She wants to work less because, if not, she will get sick. Two, the toilet asks for one leave, unpaid leave to stop working for a while. Three, many are being asked workplace changes “, Arribas account. “In the last year and a half, clearly, we see that there are more people who ask for reductions, leave or changes.”

According to the union, in addition, there are more professionals than they “rethink” their profession, who would like “take early retirement” or who would like “do not prolong your working life in these conditions. “” We are at the gates of a health collapse due to lack of professionals “, Arribas assures.

The union study

In addition to the 70% of burned doctors that the union study reveals, 61.5% suffer from a feeling of depersonalization before work and 44%, a lack of personal fulfillment. For Metges de Catalunya behind this exhaustion is the “Uncompromising and sustained work overload of professionals “, who feel” doomed “to extend their working hours in a systematic way. This, according to the union, makes” rest and disconnection very difficult. “And, furthermore, the” structural deficit of physicians and the dire working and remuneration conditions “ they are also at the root of this problem.

The study by Metges de Catalunya is in line with the survey ‘Repercussions of covid-19 on the health of doctors in Spain’, published in May and carried out by the Galatea Foundation, the Collegiate Medical Organization (WTO) and other entities with the participation of 4,515 physicians. According to this survey, if before the pandemic three out of 10 doctors confessed to having ‘bornout’, now six out of 10 admit to suffering from it.

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In this context, the consumption of tranquilizers and hypnotics it has increased among medical professionals. They take them almost the 30%, versus 18% before the virus. In addition, 20% have considered early retirement and 34% have come to consider the idea of ​​leaving the profession.

The investigation also reveals that physicians they sleep less and worse due to the increase in work and the stress generated by the coronavirus. In fact, 27% sleep less than six hours, a percentage that doubles that registered before the pandemic. Likewise, 51% admit to feeling “overwhelmed” and less physically and emotionally prepared with each new wave and many admit that their lifestyle habits have worsened. In fact, the habitual practice of physical activity and the proportion of professionals who admit in the survey that they consume a lot or a lot of alcohol increases from 4% to 7%.