It turned out that the Nippon Medical School Hospital had received a correction recommendation from the Labor Standards Inspection Office for not paying wages to 11 graduate students who were engaged in medical treatment for at least 10 days.

It seems that this is the first time that a so-called "unpaid doctor" graduate student who is not paid even after receiving medical treatment has been recognized as a worker.

The correction recommendation was received at Nippon Medical School Hospital in Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo.



According to the graduate student's agent lawyer and the university who reported to the Labor Standards Inspection Office, as a result of conducting an on-site investigation at the hospital, 11 graduate students who were engaged in outpatient treatment were not paid for at least 13 days. Is confirmed.



For this reason, the Labor Standards Inspection Office made a correction recommendation on January 20, and investigated the actual situation of medical treatment retroactively for the past two years, and even graduate students scrutinized the work content and corresponded to working hours. If you do, you are instructed to pay wages.



Graduate students who are considered to be researchers or self-study and are not paid even if they engage in medical treatment are called "unpaid doctors", and according to the union of working doctors, graduate students who are unpaid doctors are called workers. This is the first time that a corrective recommendation has been approved.



Nippon Medical School commented, "From this year (Reiwa 2nd year), we have taken appropriate measures and now we think that there is no problem."



The existence of unpaid doctors was revealed in the wake of NHK reports, and as of 2018, it was confirmed by a national fact-finding survey that there were more than 2,800 people in 59 university hospitals nationwide.



Tadashi Matsumaru, who acts as an agent for graduate students who filed a declaration with the Labor Standards Inspection Office, held a press conference in Tokyo on the 26th, saying, "It is recognized that the long-standing unpaid doctor system is insane under the Labor Standards Law. It's a groundbreaking decision, of course. It's the first step in improving the remaining unpaid doctor system at universities around the world. "

Unpaid doctors engage in risky practice

Recently, there have been cases where unpaid doctors are engaged in the treatment of the new coronavirus.



Of these, the doctors of graduate students who belong to the university hospitals in the Kanto region were not paid even if they were treated until the end.



As the problems surrounding unpaid doctors came to light, 1100 yen per hour began to be paid from April last year, but even now, all medical hours are not recognized as working hours. ..



Also, recently, at the university hospital I belong to, I am taking turns treating the new coronavirus with dozens of graduate students in the same situation.

There is no risk allowance and salaries are well below full-time doctors.



Many graduate students used to work part-time at another hospital to earn a living, but after the infection spreads, they have to refrain from working part-time to reduce the risk of spreading the infection to their surroundings. It means that it has decreased sharply.



The graduate student interviewed this time said, "Young doctors are being treated for the new coronavirus without saying anything. Although it is not completely unpaid, it is a risky medical treatment with a very low salary. I have doubts about being forced to do so. "

Revealed in the wake of NHK's coverage

An "unpaid doctor" is a doctor or dentist who is not paid all or part of his salary even when he is treated at a university hospital.

It is a practice that has continued in the medical world for many years, and it was once often seen by residents, but since then, the treatment of residents has improved.



However, it became clear in the 2018 NHK report that graduate students and others are working as unpaid doctors because their medical practice is regarded as research and self-study.



In response to the news, the country embarked on a fact-finding survey, and as of September 2018, it was confirmed that there were 2819 unpaid doctors in 59 university hospitals nationwide.



After that, each university said that it would improve, but according to the labor union of doctors, some university hospitals showed improvement such as a part of salary being paid, but there are still consultations from people who work as unpaid doctors. It means that it has been sent.



Under these circumstances, a young graduate student who was treating at a hospital attached to Nippon Medical School quietly requested improvement of treatment and compensation, and reported to the Labor Standards Inspection Office to make a recommendation to the university.

In some cases, he died in a traffic accident after medical treatment all night

Many unpaid doctors have to work part-time to earn a living, and it is said that they are prone to long working hours.



In 2003, a graduate student of "unpaid doctor" went to a part-time job after medical treatment all night and died in a traffic accident that seems to be caused by dozing driving.



The bereaved family filed a lawsuit against the university saying that they had an obligation to consider safety, and the court ordered the university to compensate, but the fact that they were unpaid at this time was not an issue. ..



Tadashi Matsumaru, who was in charge of the trial, regretted that he should have delved into the fact that graduate students are working unpaid as a more problematic issue.

For this reason, this time, a graduate student of Nippon Medical School has assumed the role of an agent when filing a declaration with the Labor Standards Inspection Office.



Attorney Matsumaru said, "The medical treatment of graduate students is actually the same as other working doctors, but many graduate students have been unable to raise their voices due to anxiety that they may not be able to obtain a degree. It seems that this is the first time that the Labor Standards Inspection Office has recognized graduate students as workers, and I hope that this epoch-making decision will eradicate unpaid doctors. " I will.

"This problem is just the tip of the iceberg" Improvements at other universities

A graduate student of an "unpaid doctor" who works at a university hospital in Tokyo says that he receives only tens of thousands of yen a month for full-time medical treatment.



After evaluating the judgment of the Labor Standards Inspection Office, the graduate student said, "I was not convinced that I was not paid for the medical treatment of the same quality as other doctors. I hope that this decision will help other universities improve the situation. "

Naoto Ueyama, a representative of the labor union "National Doctors Union" made up of working doctors and familiar with the way doctors work, said, "It's hard to understand why it took so long, but even graduate students have to work. Isn't it a step forward that I firmly admitted? "



On top of that, "The country is now reforming the working styles of doctors, but if there are working styles that are not considered to be labor like unpaid doctors, the management of working hours will be watered down. The problem this time is the iceberg. In one corner, old customs still remain in the medical community. To prevent overwork of doctors, the government should work diligently to improve the situation, including at other universities. "