Eko Hot Blog reports that junior hospital doctors in England commenced a five-day strike on Thursday.
This is just a week before a general election where the state of the publicly funded National Health Service (NHS) is a key issue.
This strike marks nearly a dozen similar actions by doctors below the specialist, consultant level over the past 18 months.
The NHS is struggling with a significant backlog caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, worsened by the ongoing doctors’ strikes.
In addition to delays in operations and cancer treatments, the public is facing extended waits to see a doctor at local surgeries.
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A recent survey indicated that less than a quarter of Britons were satisfied with the NHS, an unprecedented level of dissatisfaction.
The doctors are demanding a 35 percent “pay restoration” amid a cost-of-living crisis.
They have stated they will end the strike if Conservative Prime Minister Rishi Sunak commits to a credible pay increase.
The strike will continue until Tuesday, just two days before next Thursday’s general election, which the main opposition Labour Party is expected to win.
Labour’s health spokesman Wes Streeting has said that any Labour government would not meet the 35 per cent demand but that there is “space for a discussion.”
High inflation in 2023 led workers from various sectors, including teachers and train drivers, to stage walkouts.
While many pay disputes have been resolved, the junior doctors’ demands remain unmet.
Sunak’s government has argued that the doctors’ demands are unaffordable due to stretched public finances and accused the strike organizers of being politically motivated.
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