Health professionals are necessary for any country. Their work is the basis for achieving common welfare among the entire population. Therefore, it is fair that A doctor receives a decent wage for all the work he performs. The reality is quite different because in most cases this is not the case. The most recent case involves a pediatrician who even compared his pay to that of a dog walker.
The professional career with the most extensive training in the world
In that sense, part of the claim is based on the extensive training that a doctor must undergo. There is no profession in which so many years of study are mandatory. In the case of Mexico, it varies between six and seven years between university, boarding school and social service.
However, in the case of specialists it is worse because they must also approve the National Examination of Applicants for Medical Residencies (ENARM). If they succeed, they must allocate other years for their professional training. In addition, the life of the residents is not always perfect. Complaints and abuses from superiors are constantly reported.
Origin of the complaint
To return to the central theme, the doctor known on social media as “Dr. Theo” He made a post that soon went viral. It’s all because he compares his salary to that of a dog walker. With this, he does not want to minimize the people who offer this service for canines, but to show the injustice that health professionals face.
I wrote to a dog walker, he gave me what he charges, and he charges almost the same hourly rate as I do as a pediatrician in the hospital. One like and I leave everything.
— Teo 🏳️🌈 (@teo7ok) March 9, 2022
In that sense, this situation regarding payment is not exclusive to one country but affects several nations, especially in Latin America. With regard to the pediatrician who launched the criticism, he is Argentine and confirms the panorama faced by thousands of members of the health union in the region.
Inside of the conversation thread added the following: “For those who ask me, the walker charges 500 pesos [argentinos] The time [unos 4.5 dólares]. In the hospital, they pay 700 pesos per hour on call [unos 6.5 dólares]. The current basic salary (not on call) for pediatricians in the hospital is 40 thousand pesos and the rent I pay is more expensive than my basic salary. I live from guard to guard.”
From the above, it can be seen that the difference between the two professions is minimal. While the preparation required for each is unmatched.
On the other hand, it is not the first time that a comparison like that of the doctor with the dog walker has been made. Last year it was announced that the salary of an OXXO manager is 20,000 pesos per month. In addition, you also receive bonuses such as food vouchers and all the legal benefits.
What is the salary of a doctor in Mexico?
In that vein, in 2020 the General Directorate of Dissemination and Publications of the Belisario Domínguez Institute (IBD) published the results of one study. Research reveals that doctors in Mexico earn an average of $16,146 per month. This represents almost a third of the average salary for this profession in countries such as Brazil and Spain.
In addition, it is a general problem for all members of the health union. Nursing staff, meanwhile, earn an average of $9,909 per month. This is less than half of what nurses earn in Chile or Italy.
This salary discrepancy is not new but is part of the structural and historical lags of our system in general and in particular in the health system and that are obvious in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, the long daily hours faced by all health professionals must be considered.