Quebec Doctors Want Pay For Haiti Volunteer Work

Quebec orthopedists en route to help in Haiti relief efforts are asking the Canadian government to pay them their daily $800 wage under medicare, CBCNews reports.

The money doesn't diminish their volunteer work but is a concrete way for the Quebec government to recognize their contribution, Jacques Desnoyers, president of Quebec's orthopedists association wrote in the letter addressed to the province's health minister, Yves Bolduc.

Canadian firefighters and police officers sent to Haiti are remunerated, the federation of medical specialists noted, so the request is within reason.

Comments

[lcr999]

06:07 PM on 01/29/2010

They were either sent their by their employer, in which case they should be paid.
Or, they went voluntaril­y, in which case they should not be paid.

One or the other.

[KIVPossum]

04:39 AM on 02/01/2010

Yes. If they are being told to go, then pay them If they are going out of good will, then it is a volunteer effort.

[CristineN]

01:29 PM on 01/29/2010

Considerin­g the number of medical doctors living at or below poverty level and the number of homeless MD's living in boxes or in their cars, I think this may be a good idea. It breaks my hear to think of the financial sacrifices doctors make daily to benefit their fellow humans... I am sorry, all choked up, can't continue..­...

[drjasonmd]

05:00 PM on 01/29/2010

Clearly, you have been misled about how much physicians actually earn.

[KDark]

04:50 AM on 02/02/2010

And clearly, you have never heard of sarcasm.

[oscartucker]

12:03 AM on 01/29/2010

Volunteer has always meant FREE, no pay of any kind. Perhaps the headline should be changed.
"Just when you think you have heard everything­, . . ."

[drjasonmd]

05:01 PM on 01/29/2010

Like our all-volunt­eer military?

[WaitingforJanuary]

07:54 PM on 01/28/2010

Volunteeri­ng for pay. Is that the opposite of working for free?

[k3nt]

05:56 PM on 01/28/2010

Weird. Public employees paid to go to another country and provide medical services? As a Quebecer I'd be pissed. If they can't afford to volunteer then they shouldn't go. - it ain't volunteeri­ng if you're paid.

[lokipuck]

05:50 PM on 01/28/2010

"The money doesn't diminish their volunteer work..."

In my book it makes it NOT volunteer work.
Someone please help these impoverish­ed MDs.

[drjasonmd]

05:02 PM on 01/29/2010

But Canadian doctors are all impoverish­ed.

At least that's what the national health detractors keep telling us.

[NoPulse]

03:58 PM on 01/28/2010

Obviously there is no shortage of doctors.

There are the truly generous

and the green eyed greedy
that wont take medicare