General practitioners have asked medical schools to suspend clinical placement due to strikes next month due to concerns for the safety of patients and staff.
The Doctors Association of Great Britain (DAUK) has written to universities across England asking them to warn that students may be asked to behave and replace more experienced colleagues when young doctors leave hospitals for 72 hours from 13 March, thereby reducing the impact that undermines strike.
A local lobbying organization has said that students risk suing if they perform tasks that young doctors are supposed to do because they are not professionally rewarded for doing such tasks.
Some universities, such as King’s College London, University College London and Queen Mary University of London, have already suspended internships during the DAUK strike in the hope that others will follow suit.
Up to 47,600 young doctors will take part in a three-day strike starting and ending at 7am as the British Medical Association (BMA) continues its campaign to restore wages. Reports that some emergency rooms may have to close are impacting both routine care and emergency care.
Since 2008, young doctors have had to accept a 26 percent pay cut, according to the BMA. The union said Health Secretary Steve Barclay left them no choice but to take action after the government failed to deal constructively with them on pay.
“With most young doctors set to go on strike in March, the UK Physicians Association is asking medical schools to suspend clinical placements from 13 to 15 March for safety and professional solidarity reasons,” the organization said in an open letter. on Monday.
“The impact of the strikes will limit the ability of students to receive mandatory mandatory supervision. While consultants and SAS [speciality and specialist] doctors will work, the nature of the union’s activities dictates that they will be overburdened with tasks normally performed by younger colleagues. As a result, little time is left for supervising medical students during internships.”
The risk of students being asked to take on the duties of the foundation’s doctors is “high” and there is a “high chance” they will be asked to “move up” to take on jobs that are usually older, DAUK said. colleagues.
The letter states: “Instructing students not to fill in these gaps is unrealistic and ignores power dynamics between students and physicians. In addition, students have no professional responsibility for such roles and put themselves in danger by doing so. To prevent these problems from occurring, medical students should not be doing clinical internships while on strike.”
The term “junior doctors” includes anyone who has just graduated from medical school, as well as those who have years of experience on the front lines.
Downing Street said the strike was “disappointing” and Mr Barclay recently met with the union to discuss what would be fair and affordable.
The Association of Hospital Consultants and Specialists also announced that it would extend its planned strike from March 15 to March 13 and 14 in an attempt to join forces with the BMA. And the British Dental Association has also announced that hospital dentists will rage for 72 hours during the BMA strike.
The BMA announcement brings the total number of NHS strike days in March to six. NHS ambulance crews are planning to strike on March 6, 8 and 20. A three-day strike by members of the Royal College of Nursing, originally scheduled for the first three days of March, has been postponed as both sides begin negotiations for higher wages.
Source: I News
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