Nation faces record number of cancelled procedures
Grim figures due to be released this week are expected to show that 1 million NHS operations and appointments have been cancelled as a result of strikes by junior doctors and consultants. This marks the largest health strike in British history.
MPs condemn "militant medics"
Senior Members of Parliament have criticized the striking doctors for the harm they are causing to patients. Steve Brine, the Tory MP and chairman of the health select committee, stated that although many doctors, particularly consultants, are not participating in the strikes, those who are "are not hurting themselves as much as they are patients." Tory former minister Alec Shelbrooke called the figures "grim" and urged striking consultants to consider the impact on the nation's health.
Demands for pay rises
Junior doctors are demanding a 35% increase in pay, while consultants are asking for pay rises above inflation, some exceeding 11%. Health Secretary Steve Barclay has criticized the "coordinated and calculated strike action," arguing that it is causing misery for patients.
BMA defends strikes
The British Medical Association (BMA) has defended the strike action, stating that doctors do not want to be on the picket line but have been chronically underpaid for a significant period. BMA council chairman, Professor Phil Banfield, emphasized that the strikes are about securing the long-term sustainability of the NHS and ensuring there are enough trained doctors to care for all patients in the future. He also criticized the government for not acknowledging the cost and value of medical care and called on them to safeguard the retention and recruitment of doctors in the NHS.
