Junior doctors in England have vowed to keep fighting the new contracts the Government is imposing on them.
Health professionals in England are outraged about controversial new contracts junior doctors are being asked to sign, and many have said they will quit the National Health Service (NHS) the government’s healthcare service, over the issue.
The new contracts will mean doctors will have to work Saturdays as part of their normal hours, the UK Guardian reported.
The news comes after the UK government said it was committed to providing a seven-day NHS.
Since November the doctors have held two strikes, causing around 6000 operations to be cancelled.
There are 45,000 junior doctors in England who will be affected, there are fears the contracts will cause doctors to move to Scotland, Wales, overseas or quit the profession.
The British Medical Association (BMA) vowed to continue fighting the contract and would “consider all options open to us”, which could include an all-out strike affecting emergency care, the Guardian reported.
The contract will see Saturdays between 7am and 5pm become part of a junior doctor’s normal working week for the first time – an issue on which the BMA refused to negotiate during the recent talks with NHS Employers and the Department of Health.
Hunt also wants to extend normal working to 9pm between Monday and Friday, whereas the doctors’ union wanted to continue with the current system under which trainee medics receive overtime for working after 7pm on weekdays and at any time over the weekend, international media reports.
Those who oppose the changes have insisted the government needs to employ more people to work in the health profession rather than putting the burden on junior doctors to work more.
