Junior Physicians in England to Stage Five Consecutive Day Strike Next Month
Doctors in the UK are set to begin a five consecutive day walkout next month, in protest over pay and employment.
Strike Details
The BMA stated that junior physicians will strike for five consecutive days from November 14 at 7am to November 19 at 7am.
Junior physicians, who constitute about half of all medical staff in the NHS, are taking this action after unsuccessful talks with the health department.
Causes of the Walkout
Dr Jack Fletcher stated, “We did not want to reach this point. We have spent the last week in talks with government, pressing the health minister to resolve the crisis of doctors going unemployed.”
“We know from our own survey 50% of second-year physicians in the UK are facing unemployment, their skills going to waste whilst millions of patients endure long waits for care and shifts in hospitals remain vacant. This is a situation which cannot go on.”
He added, “We talked with the government in good faith, hoping the minister to understand that a agreement including options to gradually reverse the cuts to pay over a number of years, giving newly trained doctors a pay increase of only £1 per hour for the next four years.”
“We trusted the government would recognize that our asks are not just reasonable but are in the best interests of the community and our those we treat and would also help prevent our doctors leaving the health service.”
About Resident Doctors
Junior physicians have as much as eight years of experience practicing in hospitals, based on their field, or as many as three years in primary care.
More details are expected soon.
