Why doctors like me strike
From our UK edition
Doctors are currently facing a moral dilemma. Strike, and risk potential harm to patients, or continue, and face the personal consequences. We chose this career, and most will be conflicted. Do I condone strike action? No, but I can’t entirely condemn it either. Though media coverage often reductively attributes striking to money, the reasons run deeper. They are about working conditions, respect and long-term opportunity, all of which have been eroded, in parallel with pay. We often see opinions on strike action presented by commentators who are no longer practicing medicine. I struggle to reconcile with these views. The work today is not comparable. I am lucky – I’ve reached the top. But I am concerned for my younger colleagues.
