Junior doctors are once again back on strike today, as they kick-off the longest industrial action in NHS history in pursuit of a 35 per cent pay rise. Up to 46,000 medics in England will spend the next five days away from the hospital, in yet another blow to the kneecaps of the already hobbling NHS. If you didn’t need reminding of the impossibility of accessing the health service at the moment, waiting lists in England are still at over seven million, while around 600,000 NHS appointments have been postponed or cancelled by previous strikes.
Still, it seems like some people have other concerns when it comes to the impacts of the industrial action. Step forward the British Medical Association, whose junior doctor committee released a remarkable video yesterday designed for their members.
In the piece to camera, the medics advised junior doctors that in fact they were only expecting them to be on the picket line for a mere two hours on Thursday across the whole five-day strike. And for the rest of the time the medics should focus on ‘rest and relaxation’ rather than manning the barricades. Suggested activities include arranging a five-a-side, a picnic, or even a ‘strike hike’ – which Mr S can only imagine is like a regular walk, but with more piety.
If the BMA were hoping to convince people that doctors are taking the NHS crisis seriously, they aren’t doing a very good job…
Watch here:
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