Aljazeeraa reported that junior doctors across England have started their three-day strike, protesting against inadequate pay and burnout that risks driving staff out of the National Health Service (NHS) as it tackles record-high patient waiting lists.
The British Medical Association (BMA), which represents doctors and medical students, says junior doctors’ take-home pay has been cut by more than a quarter over the last 15 years, based on the Retail Price Index gauge of inflation and that its members voted overwhelmingly to strike.
Junior doctors are qualified physicians, often with several years of experience, who work under the guidance of senior doctors and comprise a large part of the country’s medical community.
The walkouts by junior doctors from Monday will put more pressure on the state-funded NHS, which is experiencing waves of strike action by nurses, ambulance workers and other staff.
The NHS said it would “prioritise resources to protect emergency and critical care, maternity care and where possible prioritise patients who have waited the longest for elective care and cancer surgery”, but thousands of appointments and procedures will be cancelled during the 72-hour strike.
As a first-year doctor after his medical degree, gets approximately 29,000 pounds ($35,000) a year as base pay for 40 hours a week minimum.