22.06.12
Doctors’ strike impact minimal – DH
Just 8% of doctors working in the NHS took part in the BMA industrial action yesterday, Government figures suggest.
Doctors voted to provide only emergency and urgent care in their first day of industrial action since 1975, in opposition to the Government’s pension reforms. Dr Hamish Meldrum, chairman of council at the BMA, said doctors have sent a “strong message” to ministers that a better deal on pensions must be found.
But the Department of Health said only a quarter of GP surgeries operated a reduced service. Around 2,700 elective operations were cancelled and rescheduled with 18,750 outpatient appointments cancelled and rescheduled.
Dr Mark Porter, who is favourite to take over as head of the BMA in a vote next week, said unless doctors concerns over pension reform were listened to the industrial action could escalate.
The large majority in favour of industrial action in last month's ballot of BMA members means it can call one or more further days of action if its council decides that is wise when it meets on the last day of the BMA’s annual conference inBournemouth, which starts on Monday.
This could involve running NHS organisations in the style of a bank holiday, with closed GP surgeries and hospitals running with a skeleton staff.
Prime Minister David Cameron said: “Even after these reforms, they will have the sort of pensions that many people working in private sector companies can only dream of. So I don’t believe they should be on strike. I think reform is necessary because we are all living longer and if we want to have an affordable pension system we need to make some changes.”
And Dean Royles, director of NHS Employers, commented: “We genuinely feel for and share the distress of the thousands of patients that have been affected by this industrial action. This action is not fair on them. We are of course relieved that the strike does not appear to have been as damaging as had been feared.”
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