Overtime pay and other incentives for transplant doctors involved in organ procurement and organ transplant at Japanese transplant facilities

• Published in: Japanese Journal of Transplantation Vol. 57; no. 1; pp. 101 - 108
• Main Authors: WATANABE, Tatsuaki, ONO, Minoru, FUKUMOTO, Takumi, KASAHARA, Mureo, ISHIDA, Hideki, OKADA, Yoshinori, EGAWA, Hiroto
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Japanese
• Published: The Japan Society for Transplantation 2022; 一般社団法人 日本移植学会
• Subjects: incentives; organ procurement surgery; organ transplant surgery; overtime pay
• ISSN: 0578-7947; 2188-0034
• DOI: 10.11386/jst.57.1_101

【Objective】 This study focuses on the working conditions of transplant doctors in Japan. The objective of this part is to clarify reward, overtime pay, and incentives to the transplant doctors.【Methods】 This survey was conducted in the form of an anonymous questionnaire to members of the Japan Society for Transplantation (JST) and transplant facilities in Japan. The questionnaire for the JST members was conducted via a web format. Requests for the questionnaire to the JST members were sent using e-mail addresses registered at JST. With regard to the transplant facilities, a letter of request was mailed to the director of each facility so that the administrators involved in employment at each facility could respond. The questionnaires were answered from December 1, 2020 to February 28, 2021.【Results】 We received responses from 340 JST members and 41 transplant centers nationwide. From the responses of JST members, 65% (198/305) of doctors received overtime pay. On the other hand, transplant centers responded that 86% (31/36) of them provided overtime pay for the organ procurement surgery and 84% (26/31) of them provided overtime pay for transplant surgery. Only 6 transplant centers replied that they provide incentives for organ procurement and transplant surgery.【Conclusion】 This questionnaire revealed that not all the doctors received overtime pay and only a few centers provided incentives for organ procurement and transplant surgery. In order to develop organ transplantation in Japan, it is imperative to improve the remuneration for doctors performing transplants.