headhonchoII wrote:You didn't read what I said. He won't suffer by having his wages controlled and still be a rich man while allowing a good health service to be provided to more patients. If speed of surgery is the answer then you don't need the best of the best, just access to a neurosurgeon. These guys work all the time, what do they need so much money for? If the government pays the tab they shouldn't get paid too much either, that is public money. The same type of dedication, long term skill building and lack of social life is required of many top scientists and engineers yet their wage level is a factor lower... the fact is most of them would do it anyway. There are many doctors who would like to step up to surgeon level ASAIK from somebody in the family. There are no lack of interested candidates. It is extremely competitive to get what are called consultancy positions and yes pay is an attraction.
You mention that becoming a doctor is similar to being a top level engineer or scientist. This is partially true. All work hard in highschool to get into a good college. Then during college take grueling classes to prepare them for the next level, but afterward is where the work diverges.
Top engineering student will get outstanding placements and either start at or within a year or two start pulling in a 6 figure income. They will work for a few years until their company provides money for a masters, get their MSc and climb higher.
Pure Scientists have a different but similar path. Excellent students in Chemistry, Biology, Physics, etc can find very well paying jobs right off the bat. My friend graduated near top of UDell's Chemisty/Chemical Engineering and now makes bank running a chemistry lab for a nuclear power plant. However for research jobs a PhD is almost a requisite. This usually poses little to no problem. Little known secret: Most graduate students in the sciences are paid to attend. Why? Because you are basically working for the University as a researcher / TA. After graduation a top scientist in the private sector can soon command over 100$ US /h.
Medical Students have the same scientific criteria as the latter, but they are under so much more scrutiny. Where LHC physicist is dealing with finding a higgs boson on a wipeoff board, there is a good chance a Dr is going to be dealing with a dying child split open on a medical table. LHC guys messes up, no big they can try a new experiment, Dr messes up and he just lost a human life. The training to become a Doctor is demanding on a whole different scale.
So therin lies the problem with controlling wages: You can lower the pay of doctors and still have them be "rich" like good scientists and engineers but where is the incentive to waste nearly double the time and experience so much more stress when one can just use their talents to become a medical researcher and make the same amount of money and enjoy a comfortable life?
Sure there will always be those truly great human beings who will take one for the team, the pages of history filled with them, but you are naive if you think those few are enough to keep the system running. The majority of people are self centered. Want proof? Listen to the millions screaming "healthcare is too expensive, I deserve the same amount of care as those richers" without any concern for how it will be done and what greater effect on the system it could have so long that they get what they need.
