Resident Physicians in England to Begin Five-Day Strike Next Month
Medical professionals in England are set to begin a five-day strike next month, in protest over pay and employment.
Walkout Information
The BMA stated that resident doctors will strike for five consecutive days from 7am on 14 November to 7am on 19 November.
Junior physicians, who constitute nearly 50% of all doctors in the NHS, are proceeding with the strike after unsuccessful talks with the health department.
Causes of the Walkout
The chair of the BMA’s resident doctors committee stated, “This is not where we wanted to be. We have been negotiating for the past week with government, pressing the health secretary to resolve the scandal of doctors going unemployed.”
“We know from our own survey 50% of second-year physicians in the UK are facing unemployment, their talents being unused whilst countless individuals 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 understand that a agreement including options to gradually reverse the cuts to pay over a number of years, providing recent graduates a raise of only £1 per hour for the next four years.”
“We trusted the authorities would recognize that our demands are not just fair but are in the interest of the public and our those we treat and would also help prevent 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 primary care.
Further information will follow shortly.
