I
want to say a bit about this week’s Junior Doctors’ Strike. It’s impossible to avoid
being political, and I have to declare a personal interest: our son and
daughter in law are both junior hospital doctors and our granddaughter of 9
months joins in with the campaign song. I‘ve listened to the feelings which
some of you have had as patients. But there are Jewish ethical and spiritual
points to be made.
English doctors on Tuesday staged their first strike in 40 years
over government plans to reform pay and conditions for working unsocial hours. The Junior doctors delivered
emergency care during the 24-hour walkout.
No change resulted, so the doctors are planning
a 48-hr strike later this month. The government have threatened to make a new working
contract compulsory.
The key issue is having to work longer hours at weekends with
Saturdays being regarded as part of the normal working week. So
for us there is an issue about Shabbat.
Instead of our son’s working day starting at 7am and finishing at 7pm the
demand is to continue working until 10pm: 15 hours at a stretch.
And especially at weekends their baby daughter misses out on prime time.
There is of course a pay issue: the hours for which they are
currently paid a premium would be considered to be standard. The doctors’ union, the British Medical
Association said the contract does not provide proper safeguards against
doctors working dangerously long hours. The government is saying that the
doctors’ hours over a 7 day week will be reduced from 91 to 76 hours. But the
Junior doctors’ concern is about weekend working.
I’m not going to argue the case for the doctors; there’s plenty
being said on both sides from which you can make up your own mind.
I want to look at it from a Jewish point of view. Given that
this is about extra time at weekends it is a subject most relevant to the
principle of rest on Shabbat. Halachah permits doctors to work on Shabbat.
Indeed, if it is a matter of saving life, they are obliged to work on Shabbat,
both by the Hippocratic oath which they swear on graduating and by halachah and
Jewish ethics.
In Israel doctors’ strikes are not uncommon; there were a series
of them 5 years ago which totalled 127 days. How did the rabbis react? Most of
the authoritative Israeli rabbinate are opposed on principle: doctors should
not go on strike because they are involved in pikkuach nefesh, saving life.
But a section of the orthodox rabbinate in Israel has taken
an opposing view. Their argument was
based on the same halachic principle: "Saving a life overrides the entire Torah," the rabbis said.
“Long hours put patients' lives at risk.”
There’s another
side to it from the doctor’s point of view. Having to work long hours
especially at weekends is not family friendly.
The problem of
doctors having to work on Shabbat - and
most have always done, is overcome by
the famous advice of Leo Baeck to fellow prisoners in the concentration camp.
If you cannot have a Shabbat day, aim for Shabbat hours.
And behind the
whole issue is a principle summed up in a little rhyme that is said and also
sung in Israel (composed by a 16th century Italian doctor
David ben Shelomo HaRofe). It’s about the worry of losing financially,
preoccupying people more than losing prime time. The rhyme is based on similarity of sound
Damav – one’s money (dam means blood, money is lifeblood;) Yamav is one’s time:
yom day, yamav one’s days, one’s life. Damav- yamav.
It goes like this.
אדם דואג על אבוד דמיו ואינו דואג על אבוד ימיו.
ימיו אינם חוזרים
דמיו אינם עוזרים
Adam doeg al ibbud
damav, ve’eyno doeg al ibbud yamav.
Damav eynam ozrim
yamav eynam chozrim.
Here’s my
paraphrase translation
People dread
their loss of pay; much more than they'd
miss the loss of a day.
Your pay you can
always earn; your days will not return.
…………………
Against: Fred
Rosner
Against: Jerusalem
Post
o
Cached
Rabbi Jonathan
Rosenblum. The 127-day doctors' strike in Israel finally
came to an end last week. The number of lives lost in the course of the strike
is still to be ...
Pro –protest orthx
Rabbis in Israel 08.03.11
