Deaths rise as junior doctors go on strike

Junior doctors have been accused of putting “politics above patient safety” as figures showed excess deaths almost tripled after their strikes.

Office of National Statistics (ONS) figures showed the number of deaths above average increased significantly in the two weeks during and after the first round of industrial action by the British Medical Association (BMA).

Junior doctors walked out for 72 hours between March 13 and 15, with more than 175,000 appointments and operations cancelled. Health experts said the walkout around that time could be linked to the rise.

A government source said: “The militant leaders of the BMA junior doctors committee seem willing to put politics above patient safety. They have adopted increasingly hardline tactics whilst demanding a completely unrealistic 35 per cent pay rise. 

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Source: The Telegraph, 13 April 2023