DISRUPTION EXPECTED AS SIX-DAY DOCTORS’ STRIKE BEGINS – Hospitals across the UK will be working to minimise disruptions for patients
Resident doctors in England started a six-day walkout on Tuesday after rejecting an offer the government said would not get better, with the British Medical Association saying it failed to reverse years of pay erosion and staffing pressures.
The strike action during the Easter holiday period is due to run until the morning of April 13 after a 48-hour ultimatum from Prime Minister Keir Starmer passed without agreement.
The government has now withdrawn a pledge to fund 1,000 additional speciality training posts that it said had been contingent on the deal being accepted.
Health minister Wes Streeting said the government was not prepared to spend money needed for patient services on a settlement it viewed as unaffordable, estimating the strike would cost the health service about 50 million pounds ($66 million) a day, or 300 million over the six-day walkout.
