Junior doctors in England go on the longest strike since the NHS was founded
Following the failure of negotiations over higher salaries, junior doctors in England went on strike on Wednesday in the longest strike since the British National Health Service (NHS) was founded. In two stages, the doctors will first lay down their work until Saturday morning and then again from January 3 to 9. The British Medical Association (BMA) had already announced the industrial action at the beginning of the month.
The new strike by hospital doctors comes at one of the busiest times of the year. Traditionally, the NHS sees an increase in admissions to hospital in the two weeks after Christmas as people postpone treatment for the festive period.
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak sharply criticized the junior doctors' strike. He called on the doctors to return to the negotiating table. They should "bear in mind that a strike at such a difficult time will have a significant impact on both the NHS and individual patients", emphasized Sunak.
According to the BMA, junior doctors had been offered a 3.3 percent pay rise in addition to an average 8.8 percent pay rise already agreed in the summer. They had rejected the offer, citing uneven distribution and arguing that the offer "would still mean a pay cut for many doctors".
There have already been several strikes in the health service in England this year, resulting in delayed treatment and canceled appointments for hundreds of thousands of patients. The NHS, which has been underfunded for years, already has a huge backlog to clear following the coronavirus pandemic.
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- The Foundation Trust representing junior doctors in England stated that they will continue their strike, as the ongoing negotiations with the NHS over a fairer pay distribution have not yielded satisfactory results.
- Despite the NHS being under strain due to the strike and the ongoing backlog from the pandemic, local residents are still expected to seek emergency medical care, as the British Medical Association (BMA) has emphasized that essential services will not be affected by the industrial action.
- In an attempt to persuade junior doctors to call off the strike, Rishi Sunak, the UK Prime Minister, expressed concerns over the potential impact on patients, urging them to reconsider and engage further in negotiations, with a focus on finding a compromise that benefits both parties.
Source: www.ntv.de
