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PICKET LINE: Junior doctors at Tunbridge Wells Hospital
By Lilly Croucher THOUSANDS of hospital patients and school students in Tunbridge Wells are likely to be impacted by further strike action this month, as both doctors and teachers walk out over pay and working conditions. Patients attending hospital appointments this week face disruption as junior doctors from Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust (MTW) continue into their second day of a 96-hour walk out. Dr Ishani Rao, a junior doctor at MTW said: “We are striking again because, unfortunately, there was no effort made by the Government to improve working conditions, to achieve the pay
restoration that we work hard for, or to ensure long-term systematic changes to achieve patient safety. “It’s been pretty morally conflicting
‘I hope that the Government realises how valuable we are to the healthcare system and that we should be invested in properly’ for a lot of us, but I believe that we need to take a stand to say that current conditions are completely inadequate. “I hope that the Government realises
how valuable we are to the healthcare system and that we should be invested in properly in order to retain junior doctors.” The strike is expected to impact a quarter of a million appointments this week following the first 72-hour walk out in March which saw 175,000 hospital appointments disrupted. The British Medical Association (BMA) said that junior doctors have seen a realterm pay cut of 26.2 per cent since 2008, and it is asking for a 35 per cent pay increase to achieve pay restoration. On March 23, the BMA announced further strike action would take place, from 7am on Tuesday April 11 until 7am
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