A junior doctor has gone viral this week after posting a Facebook status about the current five day strikes.
Nottingham educated junior doctor Holly O’Nione took to social media to further emote why junior doctors will be undertaking strike action from 12-17th September.
The strike will be occurring following long standing tension between the government and a potential new working contract for junior doctors. For over a year, the British Medical Association (BMA) have voiced concerns that the new junior doctor contracts will adversely affect working conditions and quality of care within the NHS.
Government Secretary of Health Jeremy Hunt has been keen to push through the new junior doctor contract.
A section of her post reads: “The strikes aren’t motivated by money, greed or laziness.
Over the last five years, 50,000 of us who are on the front line day in and day out have become worried.
My first ever job I had three doctors down, I routinely stayed late to ensure everyone was safe before we got home and this has become the norm but it’s increasingly unsafe.”
Adding that she really does not want to strike, Holly explains that option is the only one left for legitimately raising concern over the fraught topic.
Her post reads: “I can’t afford it [to strike] and I am concerned for patient safety but I think this is the only thing we can do to prevent the inevitable future harm.
16,000 clinics and operations are likely to be cancelled, but 76,000 operations this year were cancelled purely due to underfunding this year; it’s that we need to stop.
I will not stand for this reckless abuse the government and media hurl at us because if patients don’t trust us then we can’t treat them; without that trust, I am afraid.”
Holly’s Facebook post can be found in full below. At time of writing it has been shared over 30,000 times, with over 25,000 likes.
Junior doctors will be striking for five days from 12th September, and are expected to strike again in October, November and December.
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