Record-breaking doctors' strike piles pressure on England's health
service
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[January 03, 2024]
By Muvija M
LONDON (Reuters) -Junior doctors in England started a six-day walkout
over pay on Wednesday, the longest strike in the 75-year history of the
state-run National Health Service (NHS), which will hit patient care
during a seasonal winter peak in demand.
As in other key sectors over the past year, junior doctors represented
by the British Medical Association (BMA) have staged a series of
walkouts to demand better pay in the face of soaring inflation.
In a statement, the union urged the government to make a "credible" pay
offer to end the strikes, which threaten to increase the pressure on the
health service, where more than 7.7 million on waiting lists seek
treatment.
"Morale across the health service is at an all-time low ... Many will be
wondering if their chosen career is still worth pursuing – the
government has the chance to show those doctors they still have a future
working in this country," the BMA said.
Cumulatively, the NHS, which has provided healthcare free at the point
of use since it was founded in 1948, cancelled 1.2 million appointments
since strikes began in 2023.
The government, which has agreed new pay deals with other healthcare
workers, including nurses and senior doctors in recent months, has
resisted hikes it says would worsen inflation.
The BMA abandoned talks with the government after being offered a pay
rise of 8% to 10%, and held strikes from Dec. 20 to 23. The union is
seeking a 35% improvement, which it says is needed to cover the impact
of inflation over several years.
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Junior doctors hold placards as they stand on a picket line outside
the Royal University Hospital during a national strike over pay and
conditions, in Liverpool, Britain, January 3, 2024. REUTERS/Phil
Noble
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physicians, often with several years of experience, who work under
the guidance of senior doctors and make up a large share of the
medical community.
"This January could be one of the most difficult starts to the year
the NHS has ever faced," Stephen Powis, its national medical
director, said on Tuesday.
"The action will not only have an enormous impact on planned care,
but comes on top of a host of seasonal pressures such as covid, flu,
and staff absences due to sickness," he said in a statement.
A spokesman for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said that deals with
other healthcare workers' unions showed the striking junior doctors
were "outliers", however.
"We have sought to come to a fair resolution - fair for the
taxpayer, fair for hardworking doctors and health workers," he told
reporters on Tuesday.
"We have achieved that in the majority of cases ... we are willing
to have further discussions. But obviously the first thing to do is
to stop striking."
(Reporting by Muvija M and Alistair Smout; Editing by Ed Osmond and
Clarence Fernandez)
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