PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Dr. Yogangi Malhotra, Neonatologist at Jacobi Medical Center
3:40:15
ยท
132 sec
Dr. Yogangi Malhotra, a neonatologist at Jacobi Medical Center, provides emotional testimony about the challenges faced by physicians at NYC Health + Hospitals. She expresses her love for her job and colleagues but highlights the increasing difficulties in retention, recruitment, and maintaining quality care due to staffing shortages and overwhelming workloads.
- Dr. Malhotra has worked at Jacobi for 7 years and believes in its mission, but has seen many colleagues leave and others lose their enthusiasm.
- She describes severe understaffing in various departments, including psychiatry and the pediatric trauma center.
- The testimony emphasizes the dedication of physicians who work beyond their scheduled hours without compensation to cover critical services.
Dr. Yogangi Malhotra
3:40:15
Oh, thank you.
3:40:16
Thank you so much for, letting me speak.
3:40:20
I'm sorry.
3:40:20
I'm in my car because, anyways, it doesn't matter.
3:40:23
I'm not gonna take that for my 2 minutes.
3:40:26
I'm here I'm a neonatologist at, at Jacobi Medical Center.
3:40:31
I've been here for 7 years, and I truly believe in the mission.
3:40:36
This is where I found my wings.
3:40:38
I came from Yale Monty and came to Jacobi, and I was truly happy to find my home at Jacobi.
3:40:44
I've taken pride for the longest time in mentoring the next generation and believing in being that living example of showing what the best job in the world looks like.
3:40:54
I've been caught many times saying that I had the best job in the world because I absolutely love what I do.
3:41:00
And I work with most amazing colleagues who I believe are my friends.
3:41:06
But over the last couple of years, I've seen many of these friends leave, and I have seen the light and the spark leave the eyes of many of my dear friends who are still continuing to work despite all the circumstances everywhere they are pulled in every direction.
3:41:24
I implore all of you on behalf of my part time colleagues who make themselves available 247 without payment because they are covering the only level 2 pediatric trauma center.
3:41:34
My psychiatrist friend who I try to stop in the hallway, and she's always running because she is trying to take care of the inpatient site unit staffed by 4 physicians instead of the 12 that are supposed to be there.
3:41:48
They're trying to recruit and cannot recruit, and they are trying to retain but cannot retain.
3:41:53
So they are there.
3:41:55
Or, you know, or trying to care for 30 patients in a day in a psychiatric ED, which is very, very scary to think about for me.
3:42:05
Or my very pregnant friend who is now just finishing covering her long week long neonatal ICU shift and now has to come back at night to
Mitch Katz
3:42:14
Thank you.
3:42:14
Times expired.
Dr. Yogangi Malhotra
3:42:15
Level provider shift.
3:42:17
In summary, I would really thank you for your time, and I support everything that has been said so far about this.
3:42:26
Thank you very much for your time.