Harlem Hospital resident physicians rally for higher wages
About 70 resident physicians gathered outside of Harlem Hospital to tell the mayor they’ve had enough.
Resident physicians at Harlem Hospital didn’t mince words when it comes to the mayor.
“It’s a great day to be here with all of you to call on Mayor Adams to get it together and get us a fair contract,” Harlem Hospital resident, Dr. Fiza Mustafa, told the crowd.
This was the second day of two weeks of planned rallies at Health + Hospitals locations around New York City.
About 70 residents gathered outside of Harlem Hospital to tell the mayor they’ve had enough.
Health + Hospitals are public, so they’re funded by the city.
Resident physicians say low wages and staffing shortages are leading them to burn out and impact their ability to serve the community.
Health + Hospitals residents take home between $66,000 and $75,000 per year and are asking for a 20% raise. That will bump them up to about $90,000.
They say, for example, they can’t even afford to take Ubers home after working long shifts.
“When we go back home, we are really struggling. So, when we come to work, we really don’t want our attention to be compromised. So, I really want to continue doing what we are doing, so raising our salary will take the other burdens away from our head and will help us focus on the quality of care that we are providing for our patients,” Dr. Mustafa told News 12 New York.
News 12 reached out to the mayor’s office for comment, but they referred us to NYC Health + Hospitals. They told News 12 in a statement:
“NYC Health + Hospitals is grateful for our residents who play a critical role in patient care every day. As negotiations are ongoing, we look forward to continued discussions with the Committee on Interns and Residents. Our goal is to strengthen our partnership and reach an agreement that is fair to CIR, NYC Health + Hospitals, and our city’s taxpayers.”
Hospital sources said the terms of the contracts with the residents will remain in place while a new one is negotiated. They also say patients shouldn’t expect a disruption in appointments or service.
