On Tuesday, British junior Doctors launched a four-day protest over wages, threatening patient safety.
In the latest disruption to the state-funded National Health Service, tens of thousands of junior doctors—qualified physicians who make up over half of the medical workforce—are striking and demanding inflation-based wage increases (NHS).
Doctors’ union, the British Medical Association (BMA), demands a 35% raise, claiming a 26% real terms salary decrease over 15 years. Last month’s three-day physicians’ strike preceded Tuesday’s walkout.
“This next round of strikes will see unparalleled levels of disruption, and we are very worried about the potential severity of effect on patients and services throughout the UK,” NHS England National Medical Director Stephen Powis said.
He said there would be “considerably more” cancellations in surgeries and procedures than the 175,000 rescheduled during the previous boycott, but the NHS was attempting to maintain emergency services.
“We’ve also requested (hospitals) to reschedule surgeries and outpatients as swiftly as possible but this will take weeks to recover from,” Powis told BBC Radio.
If health minister Steve Barclay made a fair salary offer, the BMA stated that younger doctors, some experienced, would cease striking.
Barclay stated that the walkouts “risk patient safety and have been timed to maximise disruption after the Easter break.”
He claims the BMA’s demands are unrealistic and would cost some physicians over 20,000 pounds ($24,840).
The strike follows previous walkouts by nurses, paramedics, and others demanding pay increases that match yearly inflation of over 10%.
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