Tens of thousands of junior doctors went on strike across the UK on Monday (13/3) to demand better pay. The action is expected to result in three days of widespread disruption in UK government-funded hospitals and health clinics.
Junior doctors — who are already qualified but still in the early years of their career — make up 45 per cent of the total number of doctors working in the UK’s National Health Service. Their strike meant that operations and medication would be canceled for thousands of patients, and senior doctors and other medical personnel had to be recruited to cover emergency services, critical care, and maternity services.
The British Medical Association, which is the UK physicians’ union, said junior doctors’ salaries had fallen 26 per cent in real terms since 2008, while workloads and patient waiting lists were now at record highs. The union says fatigue and a cost-of-living crisis in Britain are driving some doctors away from public health services.
Unions say newly qualified medics earn just £14.09 (about Rp.260,000) per hour.
Other health workers, including nurses and paramedics, have also gone on strike in recent months to demand better pay and working conditions. [lt/jm]
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