Resident doctor leaders accused Northern Ireland’s health minister of ‘burying his head in the sand’ as they prepared to go out on strike owing to pay erosion.
A 24-hour walk-out began today at 7am today as resident doctors continue their battle for pay restoration.
It follows a 24-hour strike (in the form of Christmas Day cover) by consultants and specialist, associate specialist and specialty doctors in Northern Ireland on Thursday.
Stephen Montgomery, chair of the BMA Northern Ireland resident doctors committee, said they had been left with no choice but to call further strikes.
‘Pay erosion for resident doctors still sits at up to 20 per cent since 2008 and we lag behind our colleagues in the rest of the UK and in the south of Ireland on pay.
‘Add to that growing patient numbers without the necessary number of doctors needed to meet this demand and pressure, alongside younger doctors looking to leave the health service to work elsewhere for better pay and working conditions. It is unfortunately a perfect storm for our health service.’
NHS-wide dispute
This is the first time all doctors in Northern Ireland have been in dispute with the Department of Health. As well as hospital doctors, GPs are still in dispute over the imposition of the 2025-26 general medical services contract.
‘The health minister can bury his head in the sand about this problem all he wants, but the numbers speak for themselves: there are not enough doctors to treat our growing, ageing population as our waiting-list crisis demonstrates,’ Dr Montgomery said.
He called on the health minister, Mike Nesbitt, to engage in meaningful negotiations towards pay restoration. ‘It is unacceptable that doctors – frontline healthcare staff – have been once again forced into the position of taking strike action to be heard, while government sits on its hands counts on our goodwill and delayed pay uplifts to keep the health service going. This cannot continue.
‘We join our consultant and SAS doctor colleagues in calling on government to step in and resolve this dispute with a credible offer to avert strike action and solve these disputes without delay. The very future of the health service depends on it.’
Mr Nesbitt told the BBC on Thursday he was disappointed doctors had taken strike action. He said he was committed to paying doctors the recommended 3.5 per cent pay increase for this year but he couldn’t do so until a budget was agreed. ‘If I could give them more than 3.5 per cent I would be glad to do so,’ he added.