Should All Doctors Be Put on Salary?

Abstract

An effort is made to identify groups of advocates and opponents of the notion that all doctors ought to be put on salary. Three major findings result from the analysis: respondents who are concerned either with cost reduction or equalisation of access to medical service favour fixed remuneration of all doctors: people who favour the remuneration by salary of all doctors appear to be spokesmen for others rather than advocates of their own cause; political party preference is the most important causal factor in determining the support for such a policy. Overall, two out of five respondents endorse the notion of fixed compensation of all doctors but neither political party is able to muster a clear majority for such a proposition suggesting that the present fee‐for‐service arrangement will not be changed in the foreseeable future.