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Emergency care in Britain to be affected as junior doctors' dispute escalates

Xinhua, March 24, 2016 Adjust font size:

Junior doctors' industrial action will escalate as the British Medical Association announced Wednesday that a full withdrawal of labor by junior doctors will take place next month.

The British Medical Association (BMA) said a full withdrawal of labor by junior doctors will take place between April 26 and 27, which means the emergency cover will be affected by the industrial action.

It will be the first time that doctors have refused to provide accident and emergency (A&E) services and intensive care, according to local media.

In addition, a 48-hour emergency care only strike will take place between April 6 and April 8 as planned.

BMA claimed that the escalation of industrial action follows the continued refusal by the British government to step back from its decision to impose a new contract on junior doctors and resolve the dispute by re-entering talks.

The doctors union said 98 percent of junior doctors in a ballot voted supported taking industrial action, including a full withdrawal of labor.

"No junior doctor wants to take this action but the government has left us with no choice. In refusing to lift imposition and listen to junior doctors' outstanding concerns, the government will bear direct responsibility for the first full walkout of doctors in this country," said Johann Malawana, BMA junior doctor committee chair.

"We deeply regret the disruption to patients and our message to patients is clear, this action is wholly avoidable but the government must choose talks over imposition," he added.

In response to BMA's announcement on Wednesday, a spokesperson of the Department of Health said the escalation of industrial action is both desperate and irresponsible, and will inevitably put patients in harm's way.

"If the BMA had agreed to negotiate on Saturday pay, we'd have a negotiated agreement by now, instead, we had no choice but to proceed with proposals recommended and supported by NHS leaders," the spokesperson said.

The sticking point has been over weekend pay and whether Saturdays should attract extra "unsocial" payments. The government's imposed contract, which plans to come into force in August, is to increase the basic salary by 13.5 percent.

However, BMA said it was willing to accept between a 4 percent and 7 percent rise in basic pay to cover more generous weekend pay. Endit