Pleas for strike doctors to work blocked by union

NHS England has reported that 18 requests for striking doctors to provide emergency cover during the upcoming strikes have been rejected by the British Medical Association (BMA) union. The NHS claims that these doctors are needed to ensure patient safety during the strikes. However, the BMA has countered that hospitals are already stretching staff too thin, and that asking striking doctors to work would further exacerbate the problem. The union argues that this would undermine the purpose of the strikes, which are aimed at addressing the issues of low pay and burnout that have led to staffing shortages in the first place. The upcoming strikes, scheduled for March 13-15, are part of an ongoing dispute between the government and junior doctors over pay. The government has offered a 2% pay rise, which the BMA has rejected as insufficient to address the erosion of doctors' salaries in real terms over the past decade.