The British Medical Association (BMA) has confirmed on Monday the doctors strike will go ahead despite the aggressive strain of superflu sweeping throughout the UK.
NHS England has issued a warning saying they are facing their “worst case scenario” as flue cases has soared by more than 55% in just seven days.
Last week the Health Secretary warned the doctors strikes may be the “Jenga piece” which will hit hospitals hard over the Christmas period.
Sky News reported, Wes Streeting said, The BMA has chosen Christmas strikes to inflict damage on the NHS at the moment of maximum danger, refusing the postpone them to January to help patients and other NHS staff cope over Christmas.
“There is no need for these strikes to go ahead this week, and it reveals the BMA’s shocking disregard for patient safety and for other NHS staff. These strikes are self-indulgent, irresponsible and dangerous.
“The government’s offer would have halved competition for jobs and put more money in resident doctors’ pockets, but the BMA has again rejected it because it doesn’t meet their ask of a further 26% pay rise.
“Resident doctors have already had a 28.9% pay rise – there is no justification for striking just because this fantasy demand has not been met.
“I am appealing to ordinary resident doctors to go to work this week. There is a different magnitude of risk in striking at this moment.
“Abandoning your patients in their hour of greatest need goes against everything a career in medicine is meant to be about.
“The entire focus of my department and the NHS team will now be on getting the health service through the double whammy of flu and strikes. We have already vaccinated 17 million people, 170,000 more than last year, and we will be working intensively with frontline leaders to prepare for the coming disruption.”
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