Junior hospital doctors in England began a five-day strike on Thursday, just a week before a general election in which the status of the publicly financed National Health Service is a significant concern.
It follows nearly a dozen such measures taken by doctors below the specialist/consultant level in the last 18 months.
The NHS is dealing with a tremendous backlog caused by the COVID-19 outbreak, which is compounded by the periodic doctor’s strikes.
In addition to delays in procedures and cancer treatment, an increasingly unhappy public faces lengthy wait times to visit a doctor at their local surgery.
A recent poll found that less than a quarter of Britons were satisfied with the NHS, a record low. In the midst of a cost-of-living crisis, doctors have requested a 35% “pay restoration” as a starting point.
They have stated that they will withdraw the action if Conservative Prime Minister Rishi Sunak comes to the table with a serious pledge to enhance their salaries.
The walkout will last until Tuesday, two days before next Thursday’s parliamentary election, which the main opposition Labour Party is likely to win.
Wes Streeting, Labour’s health spokesman, has stated that any Labour administration would not satisfy the 35% requirement but that there is “space for a discussion.”.
Workers from all sectors of the economy, including teachers and truckers, staged walkouts in 2023 because of decades-high inflation.
Many of the other wage conflicts have been addressed by the government, quasi-public bodies, and private sector enterprises, but some, such as those involving young doctors, remain outstanding.
Sunak’s government has stated that the physicians’ requests are unaffordable due to tight public funds. It accused the strike organisers of being politically motivated.
