The Wardman Wire

[Update 31/7 AM: According to the GP Workload Survey published this morning, GPs are working 15% fewer hours than a decade ago, and that the average salary has now gone over £100,000 per annum. On evening surgeries, the British Medical Association say "there is no demand". Strewth.]

According to Monday’s Guardian, Doctors in the NHS are challenging high drugs prices.

One has to admire both the cheek and the sheer balls of the move.

The high prices that should be challenged are those being charged for Doctors, by Doctors.

Something like 75% of the NHS Budget goes on staff. If we are looking at savings and efficiency that *has* to be the place to start.

For good measure, Doctors in the United States - the place with the highest medical costs in the world - are flabbergasted at the amount of money being made by General Practitioners in the UK. This is a quote from a specialist blog concerned with medical salaries:

250,000 Pounds a Year translates to US$ 507,248/- a year, which perhaps only what the specialist surgeons and Interventional cardiologists in America can hope to make - and yet it’s the kind of money that some of the Family medicine MDs - ( called General Practitioners in UK) are making.

Official data showed that 50% of the the England GPs were making more than 100,000 Pounds a year ( US$ 202,899/- in July 2007 Exchange rates) and 10% of them made more than 150,000 Pounds a year ( US$ 304,349/- in July 2007 Exchange rates).

All this due to the 2004 contract where the GPs were to be rewarded more for being on the forefront of care and improve preventive care services. I personally think rewarding primary care is good - but then, when these docs starting enjoying the pay and cutting back on work by closing down evening patients and taking whole weekends off, and still making crazy money - then you begin to feel - “OK..they MUST be getting overpaid then !”

Before the 2004 Contract - the average pays were 70,000 Pounds a year (US$ $142,029 in July 2007 Exchange rates), which were just a wee bit less than the national average of family medicine docs in USA.

They considered the report from the Daily Mail surprising enough to draw to the attention of their readers.

The typical GP is now earning well over £100,000 - an outrageous figure.

This country is becoming complacent about these huge incomes earned by GPs from the public purse. It is time for the country to wake-up.

It is your taxes and my taxes that are being spent on excessive incomes for GPs, rather than on Medical Care for patients.

It is a problem.

You know it is a problem.

Do not let it be swept under the carpet.

Do not bury your head in the sand.

Tags: GP salaries, docror income, doctor salaries, medical salaries, national health service, cost of gps[tags]GP salaries, docror income, doctor salaries, medical salaries, national health service, cost of gps[/tags]