By Thousands of doctors in Britain embarked on a historic six-day strike, making it the longest walkout in the history of the state-funded National Health Service (NHS).
As junior doctors, who are in the early stages of their careers, walked off the job, tens of thousands of scheduled appointments and operations were cancelled across England and Wales. These doctors play a vital role in providing care in hospitals and clinics. The strike is set to continue until 7 a.m. next Tuesday.
To ensure that emergency services, critical care, and maternity services continue to function, senior doctors and other medical professionals have been called in to cover the gaps.
The timing of the strike could not be worse. According to Julian Hartley, the chief executive of NHS Providers, it comes at a challenging period for the health service, right after the busy Christmas and New Year period and amidst the ongoing pressures caused by flu and COVID-19. The impact on patients is expected to be significant.
The healthcare sector in Britain has witnessed a series of strikes over the past year as staff members sought pay increases to cope with the rising cost of living.
These walkouts have further strained an already overburdened health service, which is still grappling with backlogs created by the coronavirus pandemic.
While nurses, ambulance crews, and senior doctors have reached pay agreements with the government, the union representing junior doctors remains steadfast in their demands, resulting in stalled negotiations. The government has insisted on no further talks unless the strike is called off, while the union maintains that it will only negotiate if presented with a “credible” pay offer.
Dr. Vivek Trivedi, co-chair of the British Medical Association’s Junior Doctors Committee, emphasized that calling strikes is not their primary objective. Rather, they want to negotiate an acceptable offer that can be presented to their members for approval.
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