Resident Physicians in England to Launch Five-Day Walkout Next Month
Medical professionals in England are preparing to begin a five-day walkout in November, in protest over jobs and pay.
Walkout Information
The BMA announced that junior physicians will walk out for five days in a row from November 14 at 7am to 7am on 19 November.
Resident doctors, who make up nearly 50% of all medical staff in the National Health Service, are proceeding with the strike after unsuccessful talks with the government.
Causes of the Walkout
Dr Jack Fletcher commented, “This is not where we wanted to be. We have spent the last week in talks with government, pressing the health minister to end the crisis of unemployed physicians.”
“Our survey reveals 50% of second-year physicians in England are facing unemployment, their skills going to waste whilst countless individuals endure long waits for care and hospital shifts remain vacant. This cannot continue.”
He added, “We talked with the government in good faith, hoping the health secretary to understand that a deal offering solutions to gradually reverse the cuts to pay over several years, providing recent graduates a raise of just a pound an hour for the next four years.”
“We hoped the authorities would recognize that our demands are not just reasonable but are in the interest of the public and our those we treat and would also help prevent our doctors departing from the health service.”
Who Are Resident Physicians?
Junior physicians 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.
