Junior Doctors Begin Longest Strike in ‘Toughest Week’ for NHS

Junior doctors in England started their longest strike on Wednesday, in what has been described as “the toughest week” of the year for hospitals. The six-day walkout by members of the British Medical Association (BMA) is part of an ongoing dispute over pay. The union has been calling for a “pay restoration” for junior doctors, saying their salary has decreased by over a quarter in real terms compared to 2008. Last summer, the government gave junior doctors in England an average rise of 8.8 percent, but medics said the increase was not enough and ramped up strike efforts. There had been hopes that the dispute may get resolved when the government and the union reentered talks in October last year, but the talks broke down after five weeks....