Junior Physicians in England to Begin Five-Day Walkout in November
Medical professionals in England are preparing to stage a five consecutive day walkout next month, in protest over pay and employment.
Walkout Information
The BMA announced that resident doctors will walk out for five days in a row from 7am on 14 November to November 19 at 7am.
Junior physicians, who make up about half of all doctors in the NHS, are taking this action after unsuccessful talks with the health department.
Reasons Behind the Strike
Dr Jack Fletcher stated, “This is not where we wanted to be. We have been negotiating for the past week with officials, pressing the health minister to end the crisis of unemployed physicians.”
“We know from our own survey half of second-year doctors in the UK are struggling to find jobs, their talents being unused whilst countless individuals wait endlessly for treatment and shifts in hospitals remain vacant. This cannot continue.”
He continued, “We negotiated sincerely, hoping the health secretary to understand that a deal including options 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 coming four years.”
“We hoped the government would recognize that our demands are not just fair but are in the best interests of the community and our those we treat 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 practicing in hospitals, based on their field, or up to three years in general practice.
More details are expected shortly.
