London:
An Indian-origin doctor and co-chair of the medical association's panel of doctors on Wednesday called on the British government to sit around the negotiating table as his colleagues embarked on a six-day strike, the longest in the history of British healthcare.
Dr. Vivek Trivedi, co-chair of the British Medical Association (BMA) Junior Doctors Committee, told the BBC that ministers must come forward with a credible pay offer so they can call off the strikes.
The National Health Service (NHS) relies on thousands of trainee doctors or qualified medical professionals who do their specialist training in hospitals, who have been taking industrial action since last year demanding better pay in line with inflation.
“Anyone from the government could come to us today and if we thought that offer was credible, and if we can resume talks and build on that, then we could end our strike action for the rest of the week,” he said. Trivedi to the BBC. .
Talks between trainee doctors and the British government broke down last month when they rejected an offer of an average pay rise of 3 percent, on top of an average of almost 9 percent that doctors received in April last year.
The BMA has asked for an extra 35 percent to compensate for what they say are below-inflation wage increases dating back to 2008.
“We are not asking for an increase or wage recovery overnight. We're not even saying it has to be done within a year. We are very happy to look at deals that would cover several years – but what we need to do is move in that direction and not beyond wage erosion. That 3 percent pay increase would still amount to pay cuts for many doctors this year,” Trivedi said.
However, British Health Minister Victoria Atkins said trainee doctors must call off their strike before she can return to the negotiating table.
“I urge the BMA Junior Doctors Committee to call off their strikes and return to the negotiating table so that we can find a fair and reasonable solution to end the strikes once and for all,” said Atkins said in a statement.
“January is typically the busiest time of year for the NHS and these strikes will have serious consequences for patients across the country. More than 1.2 million appointments have been rescheduled since the strike action began, including more than 88,000 during last month's strikes. The NHS has once again put robust contingency plans in place to protect patient safety and it is vital that anyone needing medical attention continues to come forward,” she said.
NHS National Medical Director, Professor Sir Stephen Powis, also described January as one of the busiest and most challenging times for the healthcare system, due to the winter pressures of flu and Covid together.
“This latest round of strike action will not only impact this week, but will have a lasting impact on the weeks and months ahead as we struggle to restore services and meet high demand,” Powis said.
NHS England advises patients in a life-threatening emergency to call 999 and use the medical helpline 111 for everything else.
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