Streeting 'deeply regrets' doctors' strike as five-day walkout begins

Wes Streeting, the health minister, has expressed concern for the consequences of a five-day doctors' strike in England on patients in the run-up to Christmas. The situation in some hospitals was already dicey, he said, and he was worried about the effect on other medical workers who would be knacked as a result of industrial strike. On Wednesday, the new resident doctors' call, the current name for junior doctors, began at 07:00, indicating that a long-term effort to raise salaries plus the promise of new specialty training locations. In the case of rising outbreaks of flu and other winter illnesses, NHS bosses have said that it would be impossible to keep some pre-booked services running.

Representatives of the doctors' union, the British Medical Association (BMA), announced that they would work with NHS chiefs to ensure safety in hospitals and other areas of the health service. This is the 14th walkout by resident doctors in a long-running wage dispute. Since the government and the union held last-minute talks on Tuesday, a strike has been canceled. The meeting was described by the government as constructive, but not enough progress had been made to call off the strike, but not sufficiently progress had to be made to prevent the strike. Nearly half of physicians in the NHS work in resident doctors. They are walking out of both emergency and non-urgent care with senior doctors drafted in to provide them with protection.

We're here yet again, on a picket line outside St Thomas' Hospital in London, because we haven't yet reached a fair agreement to solve this egregious jobs crisis,

BMA resident doctor Dr. Jack Fletcher said.

What we're not asking for is a massive stonking salary increase in a single go,

Dr Fletcher told BBC's Today show.

No one has ever asked for anything double-digit overnight. What we're trying to avoid these real-time salary cuts for physicians that the government has approved for physicians.

I do care what my patients think but I didn't sign up to provide that care in a corridor,

he said after hearing reports that shows that public support for the strikes is decreasing.

Approximately 50 medics are protesting outside the London hospital, and more at hospitals around the country, including Leeds and Newcastle. They claim they are determined to keep fighting for more money and more positions. Dr. Krunthika Ramamurthi, a doctor in India who has been working in the United Kingdom for five years, hasn't been able to secure a speciality training post, which doctors can apply for after the first two years of training. Rather, she has been coerced to serve as a locum and in short-term jobs that do not count toward her education.

It is really difficult. I am not progressing in my career, but it is clear that there is a shortage of workers. I don't want to strike, but the government isn't worried about our fears – pay is still below 2008 levels,

she said.

If the NHS is wretched because of the flu viruses that tell you everything,

the NHS needs to be more bolstered. NHS England said in the two most recent strikes, in July and November, it was able to maintain the bulk of non-urgent operations and treatments, such as hip and knee replacements, running.

Situation 'dicey' in coming weeks

Streeting said there was no sign of a breakthrough after five hours of talks with BMA representatives yesterday.

I think on jobs, we're [largely in agreement], but [but] on pay [we're] too far apart,

he said.

These strikes will have a cost on operational costs, both on patients and the entire NHS workforce, and I am deeply sad that we are in this situation.

Because the doctors who are treating patients are focusing on providing strike cover, hospitals could be unable to discharge patients in time for Christmas. The strikes came at an extremely challenging time for the NHS, according to medical director Prof Meghana Pandit, with record numbers of patients in hospitals with flu this year. More patients are likely to suffer the effects of this round of strikes than than the previous two, she said, because employees who are covering for those injured will not get a Christmas break with their families. GP services will remain open and accessible, according to NHS England, and emergency care services will be available to those who require them. But even then, there is likely to be some disruption. During the strike, Cheltenham General Hospital's emergency department is closing for emergencies, but minor injuries will remain open, with patients urged to use Gloucestershire Royal Hospital. During the attack, NHS England said the public should use111 onlineas the first port of call for urgent, but not life-threatening problems. Patients who need emergency medical assistance should continue to use 999 or come forward to A&E as normal, according to the company. Despite a new government proposal last week that included increasing the number of speciality training posts and covering out-of-pocket expenses like exam tuition, the strike is continuing. The strikes, according to Daniel Elkeles, the company's chief executive, were like having the worst possible Groundhog Day.But unlike the film, this is real,

he said on BBC Breakfast. Thousands of patients are going to have their operations and procedures postponed or cancelled. The

increasingly tense conflictseems to befar away from being settled as it has never been," he said. However, he said that patients will still be healthy in hospital and that people should attend appointments unless told otherwise.

Getting job is 'nightmare'

Residents' residency programs, which began in year three of their education after completing medical school, have become extremely competitive. This year, 30,000 applicants applied for 10,000 jobs, although some of the applicants were doctors from abroad. After the union agreed to hold an online poll of members, the BMA reported on Monday that its members had voted to continue with the strike, effectively ending the process. Streeting has said he would not discuss salary increases as doctors' salaries have increased by more than 30% in the last three years. Despite wage increases, the BMA claims that resident doctors' pay is still a fifth lower than it was in 2008, when inflation is factored in. However, the company said it was committed to patient care.