Thousands of GPs who went on strike in the UK held a demonstration in the capital

General practitioners, who gathered in the famous Trafalgar Square because of the continuing disagreement with the British government over pay increases and working conditions, demanded a 35 per cent pay increase in the face of rising inflation.

GPs carried banners reading: “Doctors Deserve Better Pay”, “Pay Us To Stay”, “Where Is The Minister Of Health (Steve Barclay)?”, “Applause Doesn’t Pay Us”.

“THE GOVERNMENT MUST AGREE THAT THERE WILL ALWAYS BE A NEED FOR DOCTORS”

Kevin McGee, chief executive of Lancashire Teaching Hospitals, one of the attendees, said in his speech on the platform established in the field that there has been a 26 per cent cut in GP salaries over the last 10 years.

McGee asserted that the general practitioners who initiated the action to quit their jobs demanding better pay were not alone, using the following statements:

“You are part of a profession that goes back thousands of years in all cultures and across the entire planet. This government better accept that doctors will always be needed. The Minister of Health comes and goes, but there will always be a need for doctors, general practitioners”.

McGee assessed that GPs are on strike not only for a pay increase, but also for the future of England’s NHS and their profession.

“WE ARE NOT OLDER”

Chanelle Smith, one of the GPs taking part in the demonstration, told the AA correspondent that she supported the strike because she thought her colleagues deserved better pay.

Referring to the difficulty of practicing the medical profession, the young general practitioner Smith continued his words as follows:

* “I think we are doing a very difficult and demanding job. I think we should be rewarded for that too. We are going through a very difficult time during the Covid-19 pandemic. We went through a time when everyone was unquestionably tired, and after what happened, the public saw him as a hero. That’s why I think we should be rewarded when it comes to our salaries.”

Expressing that doctors make very serious decisions during their duties and have a difficult and stressful job, Chanelle said, “We are not greedy. We just want to be valued. I think this is really important to retain doctors in the UK.” saying.

TENS OF THOUSANDS OF PRACTICAL DOCTORS ON STRIKE FOR THE SECOND TIME THIS YEAR

Tens of thousands of GPs in England have gone on strike for the second time this year over pay increases and ongoing disagreement over working conditions, starting a 4-day work stoppage.

The Confederation of the National Health System (NHS) of England, which represents organizations in the health sector, announced that it is expected to cancel more than 350,000 appointments and surgeries due to the doctors’ strike.

British Health Minister Steve Barclay, who described the doctors’ action as a “huge disappointment”, argues that the demand for a 35 percent pay rise is unreasonable.

The general practitioners had decided to take a 72-hour absence from work on March 13. AA