The dispute, over changes to the junior doctor contract meant to improve care at evenings and weekends in the health service, has already seen doctors take strike action, although they have continued to provide emergency care.
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Some patients said they could understand the strikes launched by the junior doctors and supported them, while others who had their treatment postponed said they were negatively affected.
Data from England’s National Health Service shows 78 percent of its junior physicians did not report for duty Tuesday, including those in emergency care, according to The Guardian.
According to junior doctors, the British government is stretching resources too thinly and it must invest in more staff.
Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has insisted the Government will not be “blackmailed” into dropping its manifesto pledge of improving seven-day services as the dispute with the British Medical Association (BMA) over a new contract continues.
However, the strikes have led to more than 100,000 routine appointments and almost 13,000 non-emergency operations being cancelled or postponed.
He said it was “utterly contemptible” that Mr Hunt had failed to reach an agreement with junior doctors, despite having “every conceivable opportunity”.
Junior doctors across Lincolnshire are taking part in a second day of industrial action over proposed new contracts.
Junior doctors make up around half of all practicing doctors in England and are roughly equivalent to resident physicians in the U.S. Further strike action is planned for Wednesday.
Stacey Hunter, director of operations at Airedale NHS Foundation Trust, said all urgent and emergency care went ahead this week. Only those at consultant level are considered non-junior doctors, and many doctors spend their entire careers as “junior doctors” regardless of their experience.
“The imposed contract will cause doctors to tire and burn out quicker, it openly discriminates against female doctors and parents, leaving an unsustainable NHS workforce”.
Before yesterday’s strike, the BMA wrote to Mr Hunt saying the union will call off the walk-out if the Government lifted the “imposition” of the new contracts.
The Health Secretary says the only major outstanding issue is premium Saturday pay.
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Fellow BMA official Namal Rupasinghe agreed: “None of us want to do this today but there are safety measures in place in hospitals so none of our patients will come to any harm”.
