A health minister asserted today that junior physicians’ inflation-busting salary demands of up to 30% are “unrealistic” and “put patients at danger.”
The first strike by junior physicians since they walked the picket lines in their previous protest in 2016 has been approved by tens of thousands of medical professionals, it was announced yesterday.
The disruptive action, which will impact A&E services, is being coordinated by the British Medical Association (BMA).
The union’s requests, according to health minister Maria Caulfield, are “unrealistic and not attainable.”
She claimed that the idea that young medics might not guard A&E and intensive care units during walkouts worries officials.
‘That’s a real worry because they’re the real sickest patients who need urgent care and help,’ she said.
But trade union officials have stressed critical and emergency care will be covered by more senior medics.
Almost 37,000 votes were cast in the BMA strike ballot — a turnout of 77 per cent — and 98 per cent of those voted in favour of industrial action.
This makes it the largest ever turnout for a ballot of doctors by the BMA.
It will see up to 47,600 medics below the rank of consultant walk out of hospitals for three consecutive days in March.
