Junior Doctors Strike: 13,000 Routine Operations Postponed all across England

Junior Doctors Protest by Rohin Francis (CC BY 2.0)

In what could be described as a bleak day in the history of United Kingdom, almost 97% of the Junior doctors are engaging themselves in a strike today. In addition to continuing for the whole working day today, news coming out from the camps of the Junior Doctors suggest that this strike will remain intact on Wednesday.

In addition to disrupting services like Maternity, Emergency, and Accident care, more than 13,000 routine operations have been postponed all across England as a consequence of this strike.

While the Government has done its part to lessen the impact of this strike – by bringing in Senior Consultants in place of their junior counterparts, public has felt the heat as the number of health care staff in Government hospitals have gone down considerably today.

Looking at the reason of the Junior Doctors Strike and it is an unpopular contract that has been brought forward by the Government MPs that has pitted the NHS against Junior Doctors. Among many other clauses, the new contract will turn the National Health Service into a seven day service thus significantly increasing the workload on the Junior Doctors.

Surprisingly, more than 50% of the English Public stands with the Junior doctors in the wake of their strike. According to an IPSOS poll that was carried out for BBC News, 57% of the adults in England have put their weight behind the Junior doctors.

Thus, while the English Government is trying its best to excite the sentiment of the General Public against the Junior doctors strike, the public is standing firm behind its medical aid providers.

According to NHS England, it has taken all the steps that it deemed necessary to ensure that hospitals remain in full working mode. Holidays and study leaves have been cancelled for the normal staff and there has also been a significant increase in the 111 staff to deal with more incoming calls.

However, while the Government has collaborated with the NHS to lessen the impact, the first ever Junior Doctors strike in the history of England is taking its toll from the normal patient.