In the battle against this novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak sweeping across the globe, healthcare workers are the frontline fighters saving countless lives with their tireless efforts. Grueling hours, equipment shortages, increasing patient needs, and dangerous working conditions on top of already demanding job requirements are contributing to unprecedented levels of physician burnout at this time.
Not only are healthcare workers facing the global pandemic head on, they are doing so without the necessary safety precautions, as part of a healthcare system that is proving more dysfunctional and ill-equipped to handle a public health emergency than would have been assumed. The precarious situation is made worse by mounting evidence of the censorship and exploitation of medical professionals, who are in some circumstances being forced to choose between their jobs and sharing accounts of what the battle within hospitals really looks like. The issues coming up as a result of the pandemic devastating healthcare systems across the globe is an extension of a greater, long-term problem within the healthcare system that must be addressed.
