Resident Doctors in England to Launch Five-Day Strike in November
Doctors in England are set to begin a five consecutive day strike next month, in protest over jobs and pay.
Walkout Information
The BMA stated that junior physicians will walk out for five days in a row from 7am on 14 November 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.
Reasons Behind the Strike
The chair of the BMA’s resident doctors committee stated, “This is not where we wanted to be. We have spent the last week in talks with government, urging the health secretary to resolve the crisis of doctors going unemployed.”
“We know from our own survey 50% of second-year physicians in England are facing unemployment, their talents being unused whilst millions of patients endure long waits for care and hospital shifts remain vacant. This is a situation which cannot go on.”
He added, “We negotiated sincerely, keen for the minister to see that a agreement offering solutions to gradually reverse the cuts to pay over a number of years, giving recent graduates a pay increase of only £1 per hour for the next four years.”
“We hoped the authorities would see that our demands are not just fair but are in the interest of the public and our patients and would also help stop our doctors departing from the health service.”
About Resident Doctors
Junior physicians have as much as eight years of experience practicing in hospitals, depending on their specialty, or up to three years in general practice.
More details are expected soon.
