Alberta to pay MDs >$500/hr for H1N1 Flu care

Yet another example of "Danger Pay" like a previous post about Canada paying upto $155,000 per month to docs to work in war-zone Afghanistan, the Alberta providence in Canada is thinking about paying doctors more than $500 an hour to treat swine flu patients in case on a pandemic. Many countries are stepping up their contingency plans for the coming fall. (As for me, I have made sure that I always have 2 weeks worth of supplies minimum at home...)

The question : Is it 'Hippocratically' ethical, if you will, for doctors to accept more pay or even be offered more $$$ for working in conditions of grave personal risk ? A tough question to answer ! One hand putting themselves, their families at risk and on the other hand the tacit duty of stepping up to help one's society...


This news story brings out some Arguments:

"I find it hard to believe it takes 500 bucks an hour to confirm one's Hippocratic Oath"

"I thought doctors had a responsibility to be helping out in the case of an emergency, anyway,"

What do you think ?

Also Read:
- Residency Stipends in Canada
- ER Doc income in Winnipeg, Canada touches $500,000 a year!


Related Books:

- Global Time Bomb: Surviving the H1N1 Swine Flu Pandemic
- How to Move to Canada: A Primer for Americans