A Plano physician is under fire for a hot take in the Dallas Medical Journal saying his female colleagues are paid less because they don't work as hard — but the doctor initially said his comments were misconstrued and that he did not know they would be made public. Later, a new statement attributed to the doctor apologized for the comments.
The original comments attributed to Gary Tigges, who practices internal medicine at Plano Internal Medicine Associates, were among eight responses published in the September edition of the Journal. The two-page feature addressed a report indicating that female doctors' salaries amounted to about two-thirds that of their male counterparts.
"Yes, there is a pay gap," Tigges wrote. "Female physicians do not work as hard and do not see as many patients as male physicians.
It went on to say "Nothing needs to be 'done' about this unless female physicians actually want to work harder and put in the hours. If not, they should be paid less. That is fair."
The quote drew national outrage over the weekend.
Monday, Dr. Gabriela Zandomeni of the Dallas Medical Society - which publishes the Dallas Medical Journal - told NBC 5 the quote was published as part of a conversation on the gender pay gap.
"This is a very true opinion that a lot of people have. It’s also true that a lot of people believe there is no gap and that it's all accounted for because of hours worked and that’s not true," said Zandomeni. "So, if we know where we’re starting then we can get to solutions and that’s the next step. That’s where we’re going now."
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Zandomeni, an OBGYN and mother of two, said Tigges' quote doesn't speak for the publication but it does highlight an issue in medicine.
"I believe there's a lot of people that believe there isn’t a gap and I think that’s an issue as well and that’s why it was addressed that way," explained Zandomeni.
In an email statement to NBC 5 from the Dallas County Medical Society, Ruben Velez, MD, president of the Dallas County Medical Society, and Sue Bornstein, MD, chair of the DCMS Women in Medicine Forum wrote they hope the conversation can be expanded to discuss the issue of pay inequity.
"We hope we can use the tremendous publicity our article generated to find ways to fix the issue we are all talking about: the gender pay gap in medicine. We are committed to supporting the female and male physicians in our county and state to address this."
Dr. Tigges published a new statement on the bio page of his practice's website. NBC 5 was unable to reach him for direct comment.
"I have heard from several trusted female physician colleagues who disagree with and are deeply hurt and offended by the comments I made to the Dallas Medical Journal regarding pay equity among female and male physicians.
I want to thank them for reaching out to me and sharing their concerns. I now understand more clearly how intricate this issue is and that there are ways we can work together to resolve these disparities.
I have worked closely with numerous female physicians for nearly three decades and have witnessed nothing but compassion, diligence and professionalism.
I sincerely apologize to all female physicians for my comments and the pain they have caused.
I also need to apologize to my partners and the staff at Plano Internal Medicine Associates, where we have an open and supportive work environment and where we do not tolerate discrimination based on gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation or religion."
