Resident Doctors in the UK to Begin Five Consecutive Day Strike Next Month
Medical professionals in the UK are set to begin a five-day strike in November, due to disputes regarding pay and employment.
Walkout Information
The BMA stated 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 unsuccessful talks with the health department.
Causes of the Walkout
Dr Jack Fletcher commented, “We did not want to reach this point. We have spent the last week in talks with officials, urging the health secretary to resolve 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 countless individuals endure long waits for care and hospital shifts remain vacant. This cannot continue.”
He added, “We negotiated sincerely, hoping the minister to understand that a agreement offering solutions to gradually reverse the cuts to pay over a number of years, giving newly trained doctors a raise of only £1 per hour for the next four years.”
“We hoped the authorities would recognize that our demands are not just reasonable but are in the interest of the public and our patients and would also help prevent our physicians leaving the health service.”
Who Are Resident Physicians?
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.
