Doctors in UK are back on wage strike, Doctors in England have gone on strike again following a disagreement with the government over wages. The strike hit the state-funded National Health Service (NHS).
The four-day strike, which was carried out mostly by young doctors, came amid a spike in patient waiting times due to the huge accumulation of the pandemic and a wave of strikes in various sectors of the economy.
Where workers demand a raise in response to the worst cost-of-living crisis in a generation. They are senior non-specialist doctors but have years of experience, accounting for around half of the doctors in UK hospitals.
The strike started at 7am (0600 GMT) and is scheduled to last until Tuesday (15/7) at 7am.”This round of young doctors’ strikes will again disrupt patient care,” said National Health Service (NHS) medical director Stephen Powis. “This time there is an additional challenge as organizations cannot use contract workers to replace striking staff,” he added.
The British Medical Association (BMA) says the net income of the young doctors they represent has fallen by 26% in the last 15 years. However, the government considered their demands too costly.
Nurses, ambulance staff and other medical personnel have also joined the strike in recent months, increasing the pressure on public health services. According to NHS data, almost 778,000 medical appointments have been postponed across England’s healthcare services due to the strike since December.
“Those most affected by the series of strikes in the NHS are patients, and any further action by the BMA will lead to the delay of more medical appointments and procedures,” Health Secretary Steve Barclay said.
Barclay said the 6% pay increase plus an additional £1,250 ($1,590) announced by the government in mid-July was “final decision,” and he urged the BMA to “end the strike immediately.” According to NHS data, a record 7.6 million people in England were waiting to start routine hospital treatment in June.
