THERE is a hint of desperation in the government’s decision, announced by Health Minister Giorgos Pamborides last Friday, to increase the pay of all doctors at state hospitals and raise the entry level wage. This, according to the minister, was done in order to stem the flow of hospital doctors to the private sector which paid better than the state, but we suspect it had more to do with limiting bad publicity than with rational problem-solving.
The truth is the government has been under great public pressure about the long waiting-lists at state hospitals, a regular theme of news reports and political criticism. The union of government doctors, Pasyki, had been blaming the waiting-lists on shortages of doctors, regularly highlighted cases of under-staffed departments that were unable to cope with the constantly increasing workload. It also kept repeating that many doctors were leaving the hospitals to work for private clinics at which their earnings would be higher.
As the government had to be seen doing something to tackle the problem, it decided across the board pay increases as well as the hiring of an additional 50 doctors next year. This might not break the bank or cause budget problems, but it is indicative of the only way Cyprus governments know how to deal with problems in the public sector – they throw money at it. If the problem persists, the government defends itself against criticism by citing all the extra millions it spent on wages and new appointments.
There is never an in-depth examination to establish whether more spending is the answer to the problem. But more money and more employees do nothing to address the deeply-rooted weaknesses of the public sector such as low productivity, inefficiencies, poor organisation and restrictive union practices. The health ministry now has an excuse for not giving any attention to these long-term problems which also contribute to the long waiting lists – the future autonomy of the state hospitals that would supposedly turn them into models of efficiency and high productivity.
Did the ministry looked at the specialisations of doctors that were walking out? And is it not standard practice for long-serving, experienced doctors that have made a name for themselves in the state hospitals to move to the private sector and increase their earnings? This has always happened and we doubt that the pay-rises the government has given would dissuade these doctors from doing so. Was there a problem attracting newly qualified doctors to hospitals to justify increasing entry-level salaries? No, unknown, newly qualified doctors do not command a higher salary in the private sector and it helps their career to start out at state hospitals.
In the end, terrified of the bad publicity about waiting lists and the alleged ‘mass exodus’ of doctors from hospital, the government decided to waste a few more millions of the taxpayer’s money. Its decision was welcomed by Pasyki the members of which got pay rises without having to offer anything in exchange.
