Resident Doctors Go on Strike at Elmhurst Hospital in Queens
Now the striking young doctors, many of whom were still in medical school in 2020, say the pandemic has encouraged activism and organizing — and a growing willingness to challenge the low pay young trainee doctors receive for working long and grueling hours.
Trainee doctors who work at the city’s public hospitals have often been reluctant to rock the boat in the past. Many were born and educated abroad and are in the United States on a visa.
“As international residents, we’re always so thankful — we feel very lucky to be here,” said Dr. Sarah Hafuth, a leader among the resident physicians, who comes from Canada. She added: “The pandemic was an eye-opener. Physicians really started to question our worth and asking, ‘Are we getting the support we need, given the situation we’re in?’”
At Elmhurst, residents had more difficulty obtaining hazard pay during the pandemic than residents at some Manhattan hospitals. That angered many resident physicians and hazard pay remains one of the issues driving the strike, one union delegate, a psychiatry resident, Dr. Tanathun Kajornsakchai, said on Friday.
Physician strikes are a rarity in the United States. The last one in New York City, according to the Committee of Interns and Residents, the union organizing this week’s strike, was in 1990 when young doctors at a Bronx hospital went on strike for nine days. They ultimately won a pay raise and stricter enforcement of rules against working more than 12 hours in a row.
Source: The New York Times
