Being doctors, bribed doctors

The media is buzzing about yet another case of violence against emergency medical personnel. The familiar scenario is repeated – an ambulance arrives at the address and is met by a crowd of drunk/angry relatives or friends of the person in trouble. What follows is a beating, an appearance on television, calls to become “better” or “more responsible”, outrage, and so on until next time.

The only recommendation for policy change in the sphere circulating in the public sphere is the “criminalization” of attacks on doctors. As public servants, they should enjoy special protection from violence. Of course, an attack on anyone is a criminal act, and for certain groups in society to have “better” protection from violence contradicts all the claims of the state to be a universal guardian of peace. In any case, the lack of better ideas should not be surprising – because as long as we think within the closed framework of two systems (that of health and security) with a huge state monopoly, broken solutions will hardly appear.

To illustrate, let's imagine that we don't have socialized emergency medical care. Users either pay for it themselves or receive it through some kind of charity. Let's repeat what happened on the night of the attack - the doctors arrive, there's a fight waiting for them. What will be the consequences of the incident?

All hospitals or companies that are involved in the transportation and care of people in serious medical conditions mark the relevant address on their cards (perhaps including the names of the identified hitters) and simply either do not provide them with the service the next time (when someone is in a coma from alcohol, an ambulance does not come), or their subscription increases significantly. Will the hitters not become more careful after all the free players in the market simply refuse to have relations with them?

As for doctors, paramedics, and drivers, they either receive an accident allowance or move to a competing company that protects its employees better and doesn't send them to people who may not deserve help. Something that is almost impossible under the current system of healthcare delivery.

If we look at another problem of doctors, because of which they become victims - this time of the media. It is about the so-called bribes that they receive from patients. In fact, in the current market of medical services, in addition to controlling forcibly collected (through insurance) funds for health from workers, the state also sets a kind of ceiling on the prices of certain services. For example, the National Health Insurance Fund states that an examination or surgery with this or that doctor costs the same.

However, market participants know that this is not the case – one is a highly sought-after and respected specialist, the other is not yet. One has access to the latest technology, the other does not. One is truly attentive to patients, the other does not. Regardless of the reason, the price of doctors' services is above that set by the health insurance fund, and the unlimited demand is seriously beyond the capabilities of the respective specialist – differentiation between patients is needed. The mechanism for this has long been found – connections or payment under the table. We also know the alternative from the era of a fully socialized economy – waiting in line.

Surely, even within the current situation, a solution can be found to the medical problems. A patrol car with every ambulance, 500 years in prison for a bottle of whiskey during an examination, or a special court and the prosecutor against those who dare to attack public officials. Or we could let the decisions of free individuals work.

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