Junior doctors protesting on the imposition of new junior physicians contract, London- APA

London- Britain today faces precursors of junior medics leaving the country because of the recently imposed junior doctors’ contract by Secretary of State for Health Jeremy Hunt, considering it cruel and unjust.

New statistics show that the number of junior doctors wanting to leave the country because of the Hunt’s new contract totals to an approximate 300 junior doctors. They asked to leave the country on Feb. 18 alone, after Hunt imposed the initiative.

On Feb.19, the Council granted 1333 cases professional certificates (needed for doctors to work abroad) since the beginning of 2016, including 803 requests in February. 298 doctors had requested this professional document on Thursday, which is the day Hunt said he would impose a new junior medics contract, the Spokesman for the General Medical Council in the United Kingdom told Asharq Al-Awsat.

The British government is working on amending the financial remuneration on the doctors’ pay which will lead to a third reduction of their salaries. The main argument revolves on the overtime pay earned by freshmen doctors working over the weekend, and whether Saturday should be classified as an ordinary work day or not. Representatives of junior doctors promised to « continue the fight », after the government announcing that it would go ahead with the “out of touch” imposition of new contracts on them.

This contract is both unsafe and unwarranted for both patients and junior doctors in the United Kingdom whose efforts and humanitarian work aren’t being taken into consideration.
Junior psychiatrist, Tania Soor told Asharq Al-Awsat that this situation is forcing medics to weigh up working abroad.