Junior doctors in Britain strike over wages, work conditions

Junior doctors in the United Kingdom have begun their first 48-hour strike as part of their ongoing protests over wages and working conditions.

Doctors staged the strike at 8.00 a.m. on Wednesday for the longest walkout in NHS history. Only emergency care has been left in place at NHS hospitals.

The protesters’ dispute over pay, working hours, and patient safety has sparked three walkouts since January.

They are also outraged over the government's proposed new contract which foresees pay cuts and longer working hours. The doctors say such conditions will lead to more mistakes in their care for patients.

Under the current proposals, trainees would lose pay boosts they receive for working evenings and Saturdays, which will be treated as regular hours.

A recent poll by Ipsos MORI found that support for the strike was still strong, at 65 per cent, with 17 against the stoppage, down 22 percent from the last time, British media reported.

The National Health Service has already canceled over 5,000 operations and urged people to avoid going to emergency departments whenever possible.

An unknown number of consultations are also expected to be affected by the walkout at outpatient clinics.

The current strike is the first since Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt announced plans to end the impasse by imposing the new contract on junior doctors.

The British Medical Association has opposed the contract, saying its members have no confidence in the new contract.

Hunt on Wednesday slammed the latest protest, saying the NHS needed to develop “culture where we really are better at learning from mistakes.”

The health secretary launched an inquiry into the morale of junior doctors last month, on the same day he announced he would be imposing a new contract on the medics.

Protesters in London condemned Hunt and carried placards calling for his ouster.

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