Junior doctors strike causes ‘disruption’ across health service

ON Wednesday junior doctors across the North took part in strike action for the first time in a dispute over both pay and conditions.

In a statement by the Western Trust, they announced that 242 outpatient appointments have been postponed and 44 inpatient and daycare procedures postponed.

The Trust stated, “A number of procedures have been postponed across our hospital sites. Any patients affected by the industrial action will be contacted directly and an alternative date will be arranged in due course. All patients with scheduled hospital appointments should attend their appointment unless they have been directly contacted to advise it has been rescheduled.

“Our focus will be on patient safety during the industrial action period and a protocol has been agreed to support in-patient and clinically critical services.”

Speaking to the Ulster Herald a junior doctor from Castlederg Alex Todd who is a 32-year-old Queen’s University graduate, said that the main focus of the strike action was pay restoration.

Dr Todd said, “We don’t want to strike but we feel like there is no other option. Junior doctors have experienced a 30 per-cent pay reduction since 2008 and the work has not reduced by 30 per-cent. Junior doctors are experiencing huge work increases and burnout is at an all-time high.

“We are just asking for pay parity with the rest of the UK. We are already losing some of our best graduates who are going to work in England, Scotland and Wales. If pay and conditions do not improve more young doctors will leave.”

Newly qualified doctors in the North earn £26,000 per year, while in England, the starting rate is more than £33,000, and £32,000 in Scotland. Junior doctors in England have already staged strike action in their dispute over pay.