“Overworked and underpaid”, says a sign. Thousands of young British doctors begin a four-day strike on Tuesday April 11 to obtain better salaries in the midst of a purchasing power crisis. This is a new pressure on a health system out of breath.
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According to the NHS Confederation, 350,000 appointments could be postponed. The young doctors had already gone on strike for three days last month, which had canceled 175,000 appointments.
“This is the most disruptive mobilization in the history of the NHS [le service public de santé] and strikes will cause immense pressure”said Stephen Powis, the medical director of NHS England. “Urgent and critical care will be given priority, but some patients will unfortunately have their appointments postponed”he added.
deep crisis
In the United Kingdom, interns (“ junior doctors “) represent about half of hospital doctors, they are young doctors just out of university but also experienced practitioners, some of whom have more than eight years of practice.
The four-day strike, which begins Tuesday morning and lasts until Saturday morning, comes after the long Easter weekend, when many employees were on vacation. “These strikes are going to have a catastrophic impact on the capacity of the NHS” to be fully operational, regretted Matthew Taylor, director of the NHS Confederation, Monday on Sky News. “There is no point in hiding that there will be risks for patients”he added, calling on the British to be vigilant. “Try to avoid risky behavior as the NHS will not be able to provide the desired level of care. »
The British Medical Association (BMA) union, which represents interns, says these doctors have lost 26% of real pay since 2008, when austerity measures were imposed on the health service. The union is demanding a 35% pay rise, which Health Minister Steve Barclay has called a“unrealistic”.
In a campaign published Tuesday on Twitterthe BMA, an officially recognized medical union in the United Kingdom, states that “young doctors who operate on your appendicitis are only paid 66.55 pounds [environ 75 euros] three of them”. “For a procedure that can save your life, which lasts an hour. Is it a fair price for quality health care? »he asks.
On the population side, more than half of Britons (54%) say they support the strike movement of young doctors, according to a recent Ipsos poll. This is three points more than last month.
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The NHS is going through a deep crisis, weakened by austerity policies and the consequences of the pandemic. Strike movements have multiplied since the beginning of the year, both among nurses and among doctors and paramedics.