Junior doctors begin a four-day walkout, with 350,000 routine operations expected to be cancelled due to the ongoing strike.

Junior doctors in the UK have begun a four-day strike over pay, but according to Dr Vivek Trivedi, the chair of the British Medical Association (BMA) committee, they “don’t inherently want to go on strike.” Dr Trivedi expressed that the strike was a result of deep frustration over pay disputes and working conditions, but that medical staff did not take this action lightly.

The government, however, has insisted that no talks will take place unless junior doctors abandon their demand for a 35% pay rise and agree to call off the industrial action. This impasse has led to growing tensions, with hospital bosses warning that up to 350,000 routine surgeries could be cancelled as a direct consequence of the strikes.

Dr Trivedi highlighted the strain already placed on the NHS, stating, “We’re already being set up to fail… We don’t have enough staff to see patients in a timely manner.” The strike has further exacerbated concerns about the sustainability of healthcare services amid ongoing staffing shortages and rising patient demand.