Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Health
Shehab Khan

BMA set to decide if week-long junior doctor strikes should be called off

A union meeting has been called to decide whether or not junior doctors will be continuing with their planned industrial action.

The council of the British Medical Association (BMA) will meet to come to a conclusion on whether or not the three week-long strikes planned for this year will go ahead, according to the Telegraph.

The first strike was suspended after warnings from health services they could not cope with such little notice but more are planned from now until Christmas. 

A BMA insider told the Telegraph that the strikes could lead to people dying and need to be called off. 

“We have to find a way out of this, even if we take all night. If we pursue strikes on this scale it will end up killing people. There is no way that we should be contemplating action like this about a dispute on terms and conditions,” the insider said.

The BMA’s council agreed to four week-long strikes after a tight vote between the 27 voting members. 

After the first strike was called off, a Department of Health spokesperson said: "If the BMA were really serious about patient safety, they would immediately cancel their remaining plans for industrial action which, as the General Medical Council says, will only cause patients to suffer.”

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.