NHS Under Strain: Junior Doctors Set to Strike

A few weeks back I wrote an article about the referendum on the new junior doctor contracts in the UK (which can be viewed here), where junior doctors and final year medical students overwhelmingly voted to reject the new contracts. This ofcourse came on the heels of the EU referendum which meant that little attention was focused on this major issue. It also led to Health Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, to enforce the contracts across England, despite the vote against them.

Real worry for junior doctors who have rejected these contracts is that it will fuel a workforce crisis, which will be worsened if EU nationals are not permitted to work following Brexit, and the fact that it fails to treat all doctors fairly. The government has been countering by saying that this is all a way to fulfill their manifesto promise of a seven day NHS possible – which I must add is interesting considering the NHS already runs for all seven days.

This has led to an escalation of response from the BMA, representing the junior doctors. In a statement and email sent out to members recently they stated that with just weeks till the contracts are imposed “time is running out.” They also rightly pointed out that this will have an impact on both current and future doctors, as this contract will be in place for many years.

Thus the council has endorsed a full withdrawal of labour from junior doctors for five days, an unprecedented action. The strike is to take place between Monday 12^th September until Friday 16^th September between the hours of 8am and 5pm.

The BMA has also announced additional proposed walkouts in October, November and December, all lasting for a week. Patients organisations and many in the NHS are now calling for renewed talks between the government and the BMA, in a bid to restart negotiations.

Newly appointed PM, Theresa May, has backed the Health Secretary by saying, “The government is putting patients first, the BMA should be putting patients first – not playing into politics.”

There have been a total of five walkouts as a result of this dispute throughout the year, with the first all-out strike taking place in April. What is now yet to be seen is whether the government will continue to ignore the voices of people working in this industry and impose the contracts or they will return to talks with the junior doctors. One thing is clear, as the 12^th of September draws near, there is going to be a fight for the NHS.