Thousands of British junior doctors went on strike Monday to protest low pay and poor working conditions.
The three-day protest is set to be the biggest doctor's strike since
Britain's National Health Service (NHS) was founded nearly 75 years ago.
- Junior doctors comprise more than 40% of the NHS' medical workforce.
- The
British Medical Association (BMA), which represents the doctors in
collective bargaining negotiations with the NHS and the British
government, is asking for a 35% pay hike for junior doctors. The BMA
said doctors have effectively taken a 26% pay cut since 2008 after
accounting for inflation.
- The BMA is also protesting the
underfunding of the NHS, which has led to record ambulance wait times
and delayed appointments for Britons seeking medical care.
- BMA
Chair Philip Banfield said the NHS is experiencing a grave crisis and
that junior doctors are "leaving in droves." He said that 300-500 people
are dying unnecessarily every week because British emergency
departments are under-staffed and under-resourced.
