Young doctors dangerously overworked

schumi

schumi

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Cape Times - Overworked junior doctors are calling for new regulations on their working hours following the death of a young intern who was killed in a car crash after she allegedly fell asleep behind the wheel after working a very long shift.

Young doctors are blaming the Western Cape Department of Health and the Health Professions Council of SA (HPCSA) for allowing interns to work shifts of up to 30 hours or even longer.
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More at:http://www.iol.co.za/news/south-africa/western-cape/young-doctors-dangerously-overworked-2034705
 
It sucks but they pull a decent salary, not sure what it is now but 5+ years ago 2 of my mates were pulling 30k+ doing their internship in wc. I don't think I would be able to cope with that amount of work though.
 
I have friends who are recent grads. They're pulling R30k take home with less than 1 year experience..(last I checked). They also have long shifts true, but they also have days and sometimes a week off.(Depending on emergencies etc.)
 
oldtimerZA said:
I have friends who are recent grads. They're pulling R30k take home with less than 1 year experience..(last I checked). They also have long shifts true, but they also have days and sometimes a week off.(Depending on emergencies etc.)
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Was told the same but could not remember the details but the off time was enough to make up for the shifts, but that admittedly does not help at the ar$e end of a 30hr shift.
 
oldtimerZA said:
I have friends who are recent grads. They're pulling R30k take home with less than 1 year experience..(last I checked). They also have long shifts true, but they also have days and sometimes a week off.(Depending on emergencies etc.)
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A week off as an intern? Never heard of that before.

Anyway, 250 hour months isn't atypical.
 
My wife did a 30 hour shift yesterday, she does one once a week. Its insane.
 
theratman said:
It sucks but they pull a decent salary, not sure what it is now but 5+ years ago 2 of my mates were pulling 30k+ doing their internship in wc. I don't think I would be able to cope with that amount of work though.
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Its an 'ok' salary but for the amount of studying, hours and working conditions in the public sector it should really be a lot more.
 
I think how tired and ratty I am after 24 hours of no sleep, do you really want someone who has had no sleep for 30 hours working on your life? (which they often do)
 
Lets be honest, any doctor in South Africa would easily give up part of their salary to have shorter work hours. My wife also came home just a few minutes ago, started her shift yesterday at 07:30.
 
For a last few weeks mine was working 70 hours per week, she does a bit of management and that adds extra time and stress.
No extra leave or any benefits from that.
Out of 5 calls you get only paid 3 so two you do for free.
When she was doing full shifts it was from 08:00 till next day 13:00 as MO.
Then you go home and start tomorrow at 08:00 no day off.
When she was working as anesthetist it would be 24 hour shifts, and since it is public sector no sleep at all.
After one of those shifts she got home, had shower and went back to hospital for a meeting, few km's from home she had accident.
Luckily low speed, I can definitely attribute it to lack of sleep.

She is veteran of public sector like many thousands of dedicated hard working health professionals and if you compare how well paid are some other branches of government and how hard they work with limited resources they are not paid enough.

It is very sad what happened to the young lady.
Unfortunately with high lever of trauma cases and huge influx to WC resources are stretched to the limit.
 
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I would say... two things... Medical experts should know that extended and regular lack of sleep is detrimental to health and mental well-being. Public transport should be well enough developed and safe enough that a tired female medical intern can get home safely without a worry in the world even if she catches a snooze on the train/bus.

The first one we can do something about. The second might be a challenge in SA.
 
‘How many accidents have tired doctors caused?’

Cape Town - The family of a survivor of a car crash which left a young medical intern dead after she allegedly fell asleep behind the wheel after working a very long shift have threatened to take action against the Department of Health.

Two people were critically injured when Ilne Markwat crashed into a barrier before rolling and colliding with two cars in the oncoming lane on the N1 near Klapmuts. The accident occurred at 10am on Friday, June 3.

Markwat succumbed to her injuries and was pronounced dead on arrival at Milnerton Mediclinic.

The injured, Carol Mostert, 45, and her fiancé Johannes Pretorius, 47, were rushed to Tygerberg Hospital, where they are still being treated in its Intensive Care Unit.

Mostert’s sister Janine Schouw contacted the Cape Times at the weekend, saying her family plans to take action against the department, and that they will “do whatever it takes” to hold the department accountable.
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More at: http://www.iol.co.za/news/south-afr...y-accidents-have-tired-doctors-caused-2036608
 
If personnel have to do 30h shifts then all it says is that the manager in charge of the duty roster is doing a bad job.
 
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