The government claims that strikes will only harm patients, and British doctors have launched a fifth round of strikes. Chairman | Doctor | Government
According to sources cited by Agence France Presse on August 11th, doctors in British hospitals held their latest round of strikes on the 11th, with the government stating that their strike demand for a 35% salary increase "will only harm patients.".
According to reports, as the four-day strike takes place, the head of the health department estimates that the repeated strikes have already cost publicly funded medical services £ 1 billion.
Junior doctors account for about half of the total number of doctors in hospitals in the UK. Their fifth round of strike starts at 7am and is scheduled to last until 7am on the 15th.
Health Secretary Steve Barkley has expressed his strongest condemnation of doctors so far, who have rejected the government's proposal for a 6% salary increase and a one-time payment of £ 1250.
He wrote an article in The Daily Mail accusing the British Medical Association, representing junior doctors, of "acting recklessly". He also said that the strike action "will only harm patients and put more pressure on their colleagues.".
But doctors gathered outside a hospital in central London said they had no choice but to go on strike and accused the government of refusing to negotiate.
Sami Manillajan, Co Chairman of the Primary Physicians Committee of the British Medical Association, said, "Doctors work tirelessly to shorten waiting lists. The government refuses to sit at the negotiating table." Manillajan also said, "We have been understaffed for a long time, and everyone is on the brink of collapse."
Due to the backlog caused by the pandemic, the National Health Service is working hard to cope with record breaking patient waiting times.
According to reports, data released by the National Health Agency on the 10th showed that in June this year, a record 7.6 million people in the UK were waiting for treatment at regular hospitals.