Junior doctors are annoyed student medics didn’t strike with them

Getting off the bus today at QMC I was met by a sizeable crowd of banner waving, sign shaking junior doctors. They handed me a leaflet and pointed me over to a petition table. I scribbled down my details on the long list of names and slapped on a turquoise British Medical Association (BMA) sticker.

The crowd was lively. Cheering every time a passing bus or lorry driver sounded their horn in support. Megaphones blazing and chants crying out for Jeremy Hunt – the Health Secretary who has chosen to enforce a contract on Junior doctors from August – to negotiate with the BMA for a fairer safer contract.

The protest follows today after 98% of junior doctors voted for industrial action to take place with the full withdrawal of labour between the hours of 8am and 5pm on Tuesday 26 and Wednesday 27 April. Over the 18 hours emergency care has been removed from the NHS.

I walked over to Jr. Doctor Jamie who was addressing a small crowd to ask some questions. He was appalled by the government’s handling of the situation to form a ‘truly 7-day NHS’.

“The government have promised something they don’t know how too implement. They are underfunding and expecting more. Their own assessment of the contract’s impact acknowledges that it will discriminate women, but yet they still want to enact it.

Cakes, biscuits and coffees were being handed around for protesters who had been there since 8am

Even this little guy knows what the government is doing is wrong

“No doctor I have spoken to supports the contract. Not one.

“There are doctors here, protesting today, that will see to benefit from the contract but they know how unfair it is for the majority and how detrimental it will be for the future of the NHS.

“The government are solely against the NHS, they don’t understand doctors. The people love the NHS and don’t want it to be dismantled in this careless destructive way.”

He commented on the fact there were very little student doctors at the protest saying “it effects them the most and not enough of them are here!”

‘Jeremy Hunt, not worth a punt, Jeremy Hunt will confound not confront!’

The new enforced contract has obviously deterred medical students from the NHS with a recent BMA survey finding 82.4 per cent of medical students were less likely to pursue a career in England and would rather work else where.

It is clear medical students are against the contract, it was just a shame they weren’t up for protesting against it today.