🔗 Share this article Resident Physicians in England to Begin Five-Day Walkout in November Medical professionals in England are set to begin a five-day walkout in November, in protest over pay and employment. Strike Details The British Medical Association (BMA) announced that junior physicians will strike for five consecutive days from November 14 at 7am to November 19 at 7am. Resident doctors, who make up nearly 50% of all medical staff in the National Health Service, are proceeding with the strike after unsuccessful talks with the government. Causes of the Walkout Dr Jack Fletcher stated, “This is not where we wanted to be. We have spent the last week in talks with officials, urging the health minister to end the scandal of doctors going unemployed.” “Our survey reveals half of second-year doctors in England are facing unemployment, their skills going to waste whilst millions of patients endure long waits for care and hospital shifts remain vacant. This is a situation which cannot go on.” He continued, “We talked with the government in good faith, hoping the health secretary to see that a agreement including options to gradually reverse the pay reductions over several years, giving newly trained doctors a pay increase of only £1 per hour for the next four years.” “We hoped the government would see that our demands are not just reasonable but are in the interest of the community and our patients and would also help stop our physicians departing from the health service.” Who Are Resident Physicians? Junior physicians have as much as eight years of experience working as a hospital doctor, based on their field, or as many as three years in general practice. More details are expected soon.