To the Editor:

Re “With Virus Surge, Dermatologists and Orthopedists Are Drafted for the E.R.” (news article, nytimes.com, April 3):

I’m a dermatologist, and recently friends and family have asked if I might be conscripted to the front lines against Covid-19. Mayor Bill de Blasio of New York has called for a draft of doctors, including private surgeons, podiatrists and dermatologists. Hospitals are even redeploying workers with threats of furlough without pay if not obeyed.

We have doctors willing to help, but mandatory conscription is not the answer. Outside of emergency departments and I.C.U.s, doctors are working in many ways in this fight, and the suggestion of a draft overlooks what we are already doing.

For instance, doctors around the country are spearheading telehealth implementation for patients. These efforts improve access and allocate limited resources such as beds and personal protective equipment to those who need it most while supporting social distancing to flatten the curve. Similarly, our dermatology department leads our health system’s Covid-19 test result triage. And many doctors are directing advocacy for safer front-line equipment.

The last few weeks, I have wrestled with questions of where my efforts are best placed, and I feel guilty I am not doing more. Like all workers, I worry about risks to myself and my family. We are in debt to those doctors, nurses and staff assuming risks. But demanding involuntary service does not recognize complementary roles doctors are playing and divides us when we need to be united.