VALUE SYSTEMS

Absolutely not! However, we live in a world where nothing works on the basis of morals. In fact, morals are probably the last determinant taken into consideration when it comes to employment, pay scales and access to amenities, rounding it up to most of the things we need, to make a living. Bankers do study more than nurses, and probably put in strenuous hours of mentally draining work, but nurses put in just as many hours to help people, not because they have to but more often than not, because they want to. Hospitals may need doctors, but without nurses they would cease to exist. Yet given our discrimination on the basis of CLASS, what “should” happen, probably never will.

Firstly, let me qualify my opinion by saying that a banker and a nurse for me is anyone who has cleared the basic qualification required to operate in such roles (think of a manager in a bank branch and a nurse in an OPD).  My thoughts are NOT tailored to the current global health crisis and are applicable in general.

Keeping with that context, I do believe bankers should be paid more than nurses.

The two axes of thought process here are: 1) Skill required and 2) Value created.

A banker not only needs a command on core technicalities of banking but also requires strong analytical and negotiation skills to augment sales, deliver high customer service and manage risk vs reward. The higher skill requirement is also reflected in eligibility criteria for the relevant exams– 10+2 for Nursing v/s Graduation / Post graduation with minimum 55% marks for Bank probationary officer. Having grown up in a family of doctors, I’ve encountered many instances of people from tier-3 and beyond towns getting trained for a nurse on the job. It’s difficult for me to imagine the same for a banking role!

On the second aspect of value creation, bankers are the vehicles which keep an economy running efficiently. A seemingly small slip can have far reaching consequences, impacting the savings and livelihoods of many. While a nurse’s support helps in saving a life (which I agree is the most valuable asset), but she/he doesn’t have a direct role to play– it’s the doctor’s call!

I don’t have anything against bankers. But I definitely believe nurses deserve a lot more than their current remuneration. Especially through these times, it’s evident what an essential service they do. There should be a determined minimum wage policy per industry in our country (India) as per international standards. We pay our healthcare workers peanuts compared to other nations.

Given the current pandemic that has caused pandemonium across the planet, we know that nurses are valiant warriors who are waging this bitter war. Their duty is selfless and given the extremely contagious nature of many diseases they are constantly exposed to – a risk that can cost them their lives. Over worked and exhausted, the only way to repay their attempts at battling the pandemic is to pay them more salaries so as to compensate them for their efforts.

Bankers on the other hand too have to work around the clock to process financial transactions as banking is an essential service but digitization of banking services can help to reduce the human resource needed and comparing the work load and risks involved, I opine that nurses need to be paid more than bankers.

Since I belong to the medical profession, my answer may be biased as I’ve been exposed to the latter profession more than the former.

My image of a banker is an overweight man behind a desk and that of a nurse is an overworked woman doing night shifts and is constantly on her feet.

Even though the diverse nature of qualification contributes to a higher pay among bankers, nurses should be paid more than bankers. The hours put into patient care is an example of selflessness and is priceless in my opinion.

I bet most of your readers (like me) think nurses should be paid more and that there is a bigger problem of salary not correlating with morality. But how do we solve this?
Other than governmental regulation, I think an important beginning lies at the level of primary education.
We are taught from a young age to pursue success, which is usually measured in monetary terms. I think this narrative needs to be changed in schools.
Additionally, in countries such as the USA, there is the added issue of student debt. Law students who want to fight for humanitarian rights often end up in big law firms that support corporations in order to pay off hundreds of thousands of dollars in law school debt. Doctors who are interested in public health and primary care end up as dermatologists because med school costs and malpractice insurance costs run too high. Well-intentioned people end up in careers they didn’t want due to insane costs of school. A good step would be to restructure the entire higher education system.

 
So, if you’ve found your answer,
That’s all from THE QUESTION.