The UK's National Health Service (NHS) said that the doctors' strikes, expected to happen before September ends, are concerning.
The health organization's officials explained why patients and staff should be concerned about the upcoming protest.
NHS Concerned by Doctors' Strike
An elderly gentleman walks past a hospital sign on September 26, 2007 in London, England. In a report to be released September 27, 2007 the Healthcare Commission outlines care by the NHS Trust should provide further dignity in care to the elderly.
The Guardian reported that European consultants and junior doctors are planning to conduct major strikes. This will be the first time that junior doctors and consultants will do joint protests in escalating pay disputes.
Recently, junior doctors have already staged five days of strikes. Now, they are organizing new protests scheduled from Sept. 20 until Sept. 22. Because of this, NHS trust leaders expressed their serious concerns since doctors' strikes could drastically affect the patient care sector.
NHS Providers Deputy Chief Executive Saffron Cordery said that the upcoming protests of doctors and consultants could cause patient care disruption "unlike anything we've seen before."
"The continuing dispute - and the absence of meaningful dialogue between the two sides - is worrying for patients, demoralizing for staff, and damaging for the NHS," she said.
Europe has been receiving reports regarding numerous operation delays for the past weeks. This forced one of the NHS trust leaders to deploy volunteers to support patients with drinks and meals and offer company in the emergency department during doctors' protests.
Cordery explained that while doctors conduct their strikes, patients are the ones who are paying the price as their quality of life continues to deteriorate due to multiple healthcare delays.
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What Europe's Doctors Are Asking For?
An organiser arranges British Medical Association (BMA) branded placards calling for better pay outside University College Hospital in central London on August 14, 2023, during a strike by junior doctors -- physicians who are not senior specialists but who may still years of experience.
It may sound selfish, but striking doctors and other health employees are protesting for the betterment of their patients and colleagues. Euro News reported that doctors across Europe are striking because of the poor working conditions that put their patients and themselves at risk.
Dr. Federico di Renzo, an Autonomous Union of Italian Doctors member, said they are asking for the government to re-balance the healthcare system. Specifically, they are requesting that officials improve the recruitment quality in the patient care sector and increase the salaries that doctors and other medical employees receive.
Sarada Das, the Secretary General of the Standing Committee of European Doctors, also said that the European government must invest in workforce planning in the healthcare industry. These are just some of the things that striking doctors and consultants want. If you want to learn more about the things they fight for, you can click here.
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