Doctors’ burden includes offensive editorials

Re: “New light on doctor shortage,” editorial, Dec. 2. As a family physician who has provided full service care, including obstetrical care, in Victoria since 1994, I was deeply offended by your editorial.

I work an average of 60 hours per week. I ensure that a physician is available within 20 minutes for my obstetrical patients every hour of every day. I employ a fulltime office assistant. Despite the increases in funding to family physicians mentioned in your editorial, my gross billings have decreased since 2009 and my office overhead has increased.

I have 10 years of post-secondary education, 23 years of experience and have responsibility for the lives of more than a thousand people.

My friends and relatives with similar or less education and responsibility all have pensions, paid vacation time, extended health benefits and sick time. They are paid as much as or more than I am.

I love my job and enjoy the long relationships that I have had with my patients over several decades. I teach residents and medical students and try to show them that this is an extremely rewarding profession.

Articles such as yours make my job harder, are demoralizing and do not help me to try to inspire the next generation to take on this line of work. It has taken years of thoughtful reorganization to change the system to make it more accommodating to new physicians without causing burnout.

I am sorry to say that I will not be “bear[ing] more of the burden.” If anything, your article strengths my resolve to work less and retire early. Dr. Judith Jones Victoria