Junior Physicians in the UK to Begin Five Consecutive Day Walkout in November
Medical professionals in England are preparing to stage a five consecutive day strike next month, in protest over pay and employment.
Walkout Information
The British Medical Association (BMA) announced that junior physicians will walk out for five days in a row from 7am on 14 November to 7am on 19 November.
Junior physicians, who constitute about half of all doctors in the NHS, are proceeding with the strike after failed negotiations with the government.
Reasons Behind the Strike
Dr Jack Fletcher commented, “We did not want to reach this point. We have been negotiating for the past week with government, urging the health secretary to end the scandal of doctors going unemployed.”
“We know from our own survey 50% of second-year physicians in the UK are facing unemployment, their talents being unused whilst millions of patients wait endlessly for treatment and hospital shifts go unfilled. This is a situation which cannot go on.”
He added, “We negotiated sincerely, hoping the minister to understand that a agreement including options to gradually reverse the pay reductions over a number of years, giving newly trained doctors a raise of only £1 per hour for the next four years.”
“We trusted the authorities would see that our demands are not just fair but are in the interest of the community and our patients and would also help stop our doctors departing from the NHS.”
Who Are Resident Physicians?
Resident doctors have as much as eight years of experience working as a hospital doctor, depending on their specialty, or up to three years in general practice.
Further information are expected shortly.
