Junior Doctors In England Begin Strike Over Pay

Thousands of junior doctors in England have gone on strike as the dispute with the British Government over pay persists.

The 72-hour walkout by medics who can have up to eight years of experience as a hospital doctor or three years in general practice, ran until 7 a.m. (0600 GMT) on Saturday and is expected to lead to thousands of National Health Service appointments and operations being cancelled.

This latest development follows a warning by NHS chiefs that the number of people seeking emergency help would increase as the hot weather continued across the UK.

NHS leaders have revealed that urgent and emergency care would be the priority.

The strike is the third this year by junior doctors and is expected to cause mass disruption.

There have also been concerns about staffing, with some consultants saying they would not provide strike cover unless their employers agreed to a higher overtime rate.

The British Medical Association is calling for “full restoration” of pay, which it says has experienced a 26 percent cut.

The Government has offered five percent to end the dispute.