Junior doctors in England today begin their five-day walk out—longest in NHS history—over pay dispute until July 18th, which will have a significant impact on patients. More than 47,000 junior doctors are expected to join the picket lines, while senior doctor will be filling in for emergency care.
Senior doctors are also scheduled to go on strike next week on Thursday and Friday.
Junior doctors at the British Medical Association (BMA) demands 35% pay rise, which the Health Secretary Steve Barclay called “unreasonable” and said that the strike would put patient safety at risk
However, junior medics argue that their pay increase demand would restore pay to the levels seen by junior doctors in 2008, which has been eroded by inflation.
According to the BMA, “junior doctors were offered an insulting and well below inflation pay rise of 2%”, which is why they want the 35% bump.
Talking about the longest single walkout by doctors in NHS history, BMA leaders Dr Robert Laurenson and Dr Vivek Trivedi said, “We can call this strike off today if the UK government will simply follow the example of the government in Scotland and drop their nonsensical precondition of not talking whilst strikes are announced and produce an offer which is credible to the doctors they are speaking with.”
“The pay offer on the table to junior doctors in Scotland and how it was reached throws into sharp relief the obstinate approach being taken by the prime minister and the health secretary, Steve Barclay,” it added.
According to BBC, in recent months, more than 600,000 NHS appointments in England have already been cancelled or postponed due to strikes by doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers.
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