Doctor's plea: 'I wanted to help people, but became a slave'

Yekaterina Shchegoleva is a young pediatrician. She studied to become a doctor at the Ural State Medical University in Yekaterinburg and has now returned to Kurgan to fulfill a three-year mandatory service agreement. The novice medic says she started working at the hospital in September full of enthusiasm but immediately faced a harsh reality. Yekaterina told E1.RU about the problems that medical professionals encounter.

On her social media, Yekaterina posted a video where she said she sees 50-70 patients in three hours, and her salary doesn«t even cover basic needs.

‘A ton of responsibility for a pittance of a salary. It«s embarrassing to say, but a cashier earns more. Everyone is crying about the shortage of doctors, especially in Kurgan Region. They call us to work in primary care, promising support (not just psychological). But in reality, we get stress, workload, negativity instead of real privileges or at least a decent salary. And the question arises, was it worth giving up the best years for this? I still believe in the profession, but the system must change. This is my cry from the heart, which I can no longer keep silent about,’ the pediatrician noted in the video.

The video gained over 700 thousand views, and after that, the doctor was even invited for a talk at the regional health department.

‘First—there«s an enormous flow of patients. In theory, 15 minutes are allocated for a new patient, 12 minutes for a follow-up. Since my appointment lasts 3 hours, I can see no more than 12-15 patients. But I have to see 4 to 6 times more, because two queues form: by appointment and walk-ins. And I can»t refuse medical care to a patient, and the head of the department herself says: see patients until you«ve seen everyone, and no one cares how much time is allocated per doctor for an appointment,’ Yekaterina explained in a conversation with E1.RU.

‘Second—of course, the salary. In my case, as soon as I started, I almost worked two positions (I had two areas), and I received 35 thousand rubles (about $389 at current rates). Honestly, I wanted to quit immediately, but thanks to my video, which caused a public outcry in the region, my salary is now much higher. I was called to the Kurgan Region health department because of the video, they clarified the nuances and promised to sort it out, which is what happened,’ the doctor added.

Also, because of the video, Yekaterina was summoned by the deputy chief physician and the chief physician himself. The management gave a warning for the pediatrician to be more careful in her statements and not to film within the hospital walls. They also hinted that Yekaterina posted the video on a banned social network, and she could be ‘reported to the authorities.’

‘And third—there are parents of patients who say that since I«m young and have been working at the clinic for only a short time—I don»t know anything. Many allow themselves to be rude, insult, and use foul language. This, of course, is very draining,’ the doctor added.

Yekaterina noted that what stops her from quitting is a fine. Representatives of the clinic«s management told the doctor that the penalty for breaking the targeted training agreement exceeds a million rubles (about $11,000 at current rates). Now the medic wants to find a lawyer to understand the fine amount, considering that other graduates paid a smaller sum.

‘And now with the new law on targeted training, I«m afraid to imagine what graduates and medical students are feeling. You seem to want to do a good deed—help people, but in the end you become a slave. And it»s unclear why only doctors are forced into mandatory service. Apparently, they wanted to plug the holes in healthcare, but I«m sure it will have the opposite effect. It would be better to pay decently, improve working conditions, and enhance the patient flow and appointment system. You can»t pay for an apartment, gasoline, or groceries with hopes and a calling,’ the doctor believes.

We have already reported that from March 1, almost all medical university graduates will be required to work from 1 to 3 years in a state hospital under the guidance of an experienced mentor. Students indeed called this decision—slavery.

Read more about the adopted law here. In this text, a federal expert shared an opinion on how to improve the situation in healthcare and reduce staff shortages.