UK's new health secretary to hold talks with junior doctors after latest strike

Junior doctors hold placards as they stand on a picket line outside the Royal University Hospital during a national strike over pay and conditions, in Liverpool, Britain, January 3, 2024. REUTERS/Phil Noble/ File Photo

Source: X01988

Britain's newly appointed health secretary, Wes Streeting, will hold talks next week with junior doctors to end an industrial strike action, he said in a statement on Friday.

The British Medical Association (BMA), which represents around 50,000 junior doctors, said in May that they would strike for five days immediately before Britain's July 4 national election as part of a long-running dispute over pay.

"I have just spoken over the phone with the BMA junior doctors committee, and I can announce that talks to end their industrial action will begin next week," Streeting said.

The BMA junior doctors said in a post on X they "were pleased to speak to new health secretary today to get the ball rolling on negotiating a solution to our dispute," and confirmed they agreed to meet next week.

Junior doctors in Britain's state-funded National Health Service (NHS) are qualified physicians, often with several years of experience, who work under the guidance of senior doctors and make up a large share of the medical community.

Strikes by doctors have heaped more pressure on an already overburdened NHS, where more than 7 million patients on waiting lists seek treatment, leading to thousands of cancelled appointments and procedures.

This article was produced by Reuters news agency. It has not been edited by Global South World.

By Reuters