Junior Physicians in the UK to Begin Five-Day Strike Next Month
Medical professionals in the UK are preparing to stage a five-day walkout in November, due to disputes regarding pay and employment.
Walkout Information
The BMA stated that resident doctors will walk out for five consecutive days from 7am on 14 November to November 19 at 7am.
Junior physicians, who make up about half of all medical staff in the NHS, are proceeding with the strike after failed negotiations with the health department.
Reasons Behind the Strike
Dr Jack Fletcher stated, “This is not where we wanted to be. We have spent the last week in talks with officials, urging the health secretary to end the scandal of doctors going unemployed.”
“We know from our own survey half of second-year doctors in the UK are facing unemployment, their skills going to waste whilst millions of patients endure long waits for care and hospital shifts remain vacant. This is a situation which cannot go on.”
He continued, “We negotiated sincerely, hoping the minister to understand that a agreement including options to slowly restore the pay reductions over a number of years, giving recent graduates a pay increase of only £1 per hour for the next four years.”
“We hoped the government would recognize 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 leaving the health service.”
About Resident Doctors
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.
More details are expected shortly.
