Resident Doctors in the UK to Stage Five-Day Strike Next Month
Doctors in England are preparing to begin a five-day strike next month, due to disputes regarding pay and employment.
Strike Details
The BMA announced that junior physicians will strike for five consecutive days from November 14 at 7am to 7am on 19 November.
Resident doctors, who make up about half of all doctors in the National Health Service, are proceeding with the strike after failed negotiations with the health department.
Causes of the Walkout
Dr Jack Fletcher stated, “This is not where we wanted to be. We have spent the last week in talks with officials, pressing the health secretary to resolve the crisis of doctors going unemployed.”
“We know from our own survey half of second-year doctors in England are struggling to find jobs, their skills going to waste whilst millions of patients endure long waits for care and shifts in hospitals remain vacant. This cannot continue.”
He continued, “We talked with the government in good faith, hoping the health secretary to see that a deal offering solutions to gradually reverse the cuts to pay over several years, providing recent graduates a raise of only £1 per hour for the coming four years.”
“We trusted the authorities would recognize that our asks are not just fair but are in the best interests of the community and our patients and would also help stop our physicians leaving the health service.”
About Resident Doctors
Resident doctors have anywhere up to eight years’ experience practicing in hospitals, depending on their specialty, or up to three years in general practice.
More details will follow soon.
