Over 1 million pilgrims benefit from golf cart service at Grand Mosque during Ramadan    Visitors welcomed with Eid initiative at Thee Ain Heritage Village in Al-Baha    Tebuk emir reviews rain response in Tayma    Saudi Arabia considers rent cap as part of major real estate reforms    Messi's bodyguard banned from touchline at Inter Miami games    Screen time in bed linked to insomnia, study finds    Le Pen vows to appeal political ban, calls verdict a 'denial of democracy'    Death toll from Myanmar earthquake rises to 2,719 as rescue efforts continue    Russia, Ukraine trade blame over new energy strikes    Putin orders Russia's largest military call-up in over a decade    Albania hosts MWL chief for Eid sermon at largest mosque in the Balkans    Haramain High-Speed Railway transports over 1.2 million passengers during Ramadan    Saudi Transport Authority says passengers can ride for free if taxi meters are off    Ministry of Education forms 425 community partnerships with SR653 million impact    Mexico bans junk food in schools to fight childhood obesity epidemic    Sweet sales surge ahead of Eid as Saudi chocolate imports top 123 million kg in 2024    Saudi creatives shine at Jeddah's Fawanees Nights with art, fashion, and storytelling    T1 CEO confirms Gumayusi's return for LCK Spring after lineup shakeup    100 Thieves claim Marvel Rivals Invitational NA crown as 2025 scene heats up    Bollywood actress vindicated over boyfriend's death after media hounding    Saudi Arabia hold Japan to goalless draw in Saitama to stay in World Cup hunt    Grand Mufti rules against posting prayers and preaching in mosques on social media    King Salman prays for peace and stability for Palestinians in Ramadan message King reaffirms Saudi Arabia's commitment to serving the Two Holy Mosques and pilgrims    Bollywood star Saif Ali Khan 'out of danger' after attack at home in Mumbai    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Junior doctors' strike hits health services in England
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 27 - 04 - 2016

Junior doctors in England started their first ever all-out strike Tuesday in a bitter, deadlocked row with Prime Minister David Cameron's government over pay and conditions.
The strike will have a major impact on the National Health Service (NHS), which employs more than 50,000 junior doctors — graduates with years of experience who have not yet completed their professional qualifications.
While there have been several recent walk-outs, this one will affect hospital emergency care such as accident and emergency (A&E) and maternity units for the first time, although senior doctors and nurses will still be on duty.
Nearly 13,000 operations and 113,000 appointments have been postponed around the period of the strike, which runs from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (0700 GMT to 1600 GMT) on Tuesday and Wednesday.
"Anything unprecedented like this places a significant pressure on the NHS," Anne Rainsberry, national incident director for NHS England, told BBC radio.
"The NHS has done everything it possibly can to mitigate that, but you can never say that it has mitigated it completely," she added.
The British Medical Association (BMA), the doctors' trade union, has not ruled out a permanent strike or mass resignations as a way of trying to force the government's hand over the new staff contract on offer.
A key sticking point has been on how much financial compensation junior doctors should get for working on Saturdays.
"This is the saddest day of my professional life," said registrar Fiona Martin, 36, one of tens of protesters outside St Thomas' Hospital in central London, in the shadow of parliament.
"I never thought as a doctor I would be forced to put down my stethoscope but we have been forced into it by a government that refuses to listen," she said.
But Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said the new contract was a "very fair deal" that rewarded junior doctors better than paramedics, police officers and fire officers for working unsociable weekend hours.
"Given that, is it proportionate or appropriate to be withdrawing from patients who depend on them so much?" Hunt told BBC radio, accusing the BMA of "blackmailing" the government.
"We have too many heartbreaking stories, parents who have lost children, people who have lost loved ones, because we are not delivering high-quality care at the weekend."
The taxpayer-funded NHS, established in 1948, is one of Britain's most respected institutions, providing largely free medical care.
While it has been protected from austerity cuts to public services under Cameron, experts warn it still faces increasing financial strain due to factors like rising treatment costs and an ageing population.
Cameron's government argues that reforms to junior doctors' contracts are necessary to ensure that the quality of care for patients is as high at weekends as it is during the week.
The prime minister has quoted research claiming mortality rates for patients admitted to hospital on a Sunday can be 16 percent higher than on a Wednesday, though doctors question this.
An Ipsos Mori poll for BBC News found that 57 percent of the general public supported the doctors while a quarter opposed their actions.
Hunt announced in February that he intended to impose the new contract on junior doctors after they rejected his "best and final offer."
He launched a last-ditch appeal to them to stop the strike in the House of Commons on Monday, saying: "The impact of the next two days will be unprecedented."
But there are signs the dispute is getting more entrenched.
The health spokeswoman for the main opposition Labour party, Heidi Alexander, said there was "no trust left" between Hunt and junior doctors.
She compared his handling of the strike to "pouring oil on a blazing fire."
"Both sides seem to be digging in their heels," said Katherine Murphy, chief executive of the Patients Association.
"They must now put aside their past stances and get together round the table to find a way forward in order to end the uncertainty that patients are facing."


Clic here to read the story from its source.