Resident doctors decision to reject a generous pay increase over two years to strike during a severe flu crisis shows reckless disregard for patients. The government's offer includes substantial pay raises and improved training opportunities, yet the BMA demands an additional ruinous 26% increase. This self-indulgent action endangers the NHS at its most vulnerable moment since the pandemic.
Striking resident doctors face mass unemployment, poverty wages of 22 pounds per hour and burnout rates so severe that 79% of trusts report staff concerns. The government's rushed, last-minute offers fail to address a jobs crisis forcing doctors abroad or into unemployment. Fair pay and secure employment aren't luxuries but necessities for a functioning NHS.
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