Doctors striking and their moral responsibility

This is an account about the Industrial action taken by British doctors.

- BY Dr. NIHAL D. AMERESEKERA

They have indeed become more militant lately. These are about the events from the UK. It is not always possible to interpolate the narrative to the situation and events in Sri Lanka. But when doctors strike, wherever in the world, it affects patient care and the moral responsibilities of the medical professionals remain the same.

Industrial action is when workers collectively refuse or reduce their work due to a dispute. It is often organized by a trade union when negotiations have failed. Common forms of industrial action include strikes and picketing.

The British Medical Association is the doctors trade union in Britain. Recently, the organisation has marshalled the junior doctors (now called resident doctors) to a series of strikes. This has seriously affected patient care in hospitals and has damaged the esteem and goodwill the patients have for the profession. The long running dispute of the junior/resident doctors with the government started in March 2023. The BMA argues that resident doctors' pay is 20% lower in real terms than it was in 2008, even after the 2025 increase. There have been 14 strikes since 2023 causing immense disruption to healthcare in the NHS. The government says resident doctors have received the largest pay rises of any public sector employees over the last three years - totalling nearly 30% - and insists the government won't offer any further increases.