Striking junior doctors have a message for Jeremy Hunt

Doctors striking outside Whitechapel’s Royal London Hospital have a clear message for the Health Secretary.

Junior doctors walked out on Tuesday morning in an act of defiance that has not been seen in 40 years.

This was the first stage in a rolling programme of three planned strikes in protest against attempted Government changes to contracts.

Jeremy Hunt, the Secretary of State for Health, told Radio 4 that the strikes were “wholly and unnecessary” and “disappointing”.

But, junior doctors at over 100 picket lines nationwide today would disagree, including those which attended the strike outside the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel.

Their message to Jeremy Hunt was clear.

Yusuf, a foundation doctor at the Royal London Hospital, believes the Health Secretary is “peddling statistics which aren’t necessarily true and making the public feel the doctors are against them and really want more money – which isn’t the case at all.”

“You can’t just pick on one profession – doctors themselves, there has to be an exponential increase… the statistics say you need 1.5-2% increase in all financials for the hospitals to make that happen [a seven day health service].”

“He needs to come to his senses.”

Georgina, a registrar in London, believes that “we’ve hit a crisis point” as the proposed contract will negatively impact patients, the NHS and its workers.

She also thinks that recent media coverage of the topic has not helped.

“There has been a lot of negative press about junior doctors and the Moët medics included in that… none of us live that high lifestyle, that’s not what we’re in this game for, we’re here to look after our patients – for their lives and their health.”

The deadlock is not just affecting junior doctors – but also those still studying, unsure on whether to stay on a career path which might not be financially sustainable.

Clara, 22, is disappointed with the government's attitude to public servants.

Clara, a fourth year medical student at Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, is reconsidering her options.

“Being villainised in the media and making it appear it’s a fight about money is very disheartening and it makes you wonder if your government doesn’t have any trust in you… it makes you think if all your sacrifices are worth it.”