‘Doctors as heroes is nonsense and it’s killing us’
Australian ED doctor Dr David Berger says it's nice to be appreciated, but doctors need decent PPE not banging pots and pans
It’s time to stop lauding doctors as heroes, when what they really need is a safe workplace with access to plentiful supplies of high quality personal protective equipment (PPE), says WA emergency doctor Dr David Berger.
Around the world people have downed tools weekly and banged on pots and pans to show their appreciation for the medicos caring for COVID-19 patients.
“It’s not that we don’t appreciate being appreciated. We do. But this ‘healthcare heroes’ nonsense is actually killing us,” writes Broome Hospital RMO Dr Berger, in an opinion piece in the Sydney Morning Herald.
The hero narrative has drawn attention away from creating safe workplaces, he says.
