Are doctors violating the Hippocratic Oath when they go on strike?
Physicians are NOT going on strike. Some physicians have made the difficult decision not to perform elective surgery, but even then, they are taking steps to ensure that their patients have access to emergency care and services. Physicians who have chosen to take a leave of absence are doing so only as a last resort. Many are using to this time to weigh their options, looking for ways to keep their practices open so they can continue caring for their patients and not be forced to limit services, retire early or relocate. Whether physicians leave their practices amid the media glare like they did in West Virginia and Nevada or are leaving quietly in other communities in crisis the end result is the same: Patients are seeing their physicians disappear and having their access to health care restricted.
