There’s been a lot in the news recently about nurses and other healthcare staff (such as paramedics) planning strike action. Even though this is not directly regarding doctors, it is regarding similar issues that doctors have: they don’t feel they are paid enough for the long and extremely tough (mentally and physically) hours they work, and low staff numbers mean patient safety is at risk. Junior doctors voted to strike in 2015 regarding the new junior doctor contract. Make sure you read up on this as it’s a popular interview question.
A big question regarding this is whether it is ethically acceptable for NHS staff(including doctors) to go on strike.
At first, a clear answer may be no because by not working, you are putting huge numbers of patients at risk and for sure, some will die as a result of the protests. This goes against the non-maleficence pillar of medical ethics: do no harm. Deontological ethics also suggests that a doctor has a duty of care to the patient; by striking, they are not fulfilling their primary purpose and putting their needs before the patients.
However, NHS staff also have a duty of care to themselves. If they are mentally or physically unwell, they cannot provide optimum patient care and a recent study showed that more than 1 in 4 healthcare staff sought mental health support during the pandemic. This also means that many NHS staff members quit and seek work elsewhere due to the high demands put on them and low staff numbers, which is one of the biggest issues the NHS faces. 4 and out 5 NHS workers say pay is the main reason they would quit their jobs and so striking to increase pay would keep more workers in the NHS and increase patient safety. Striking may cause patient harm in the short term but not striking would only make the situation worse. Also protesting has been shown to be the most effective way to initiate change.
Some may also suggest that doctors shouldn’t strike because “they know what they’re getting themselves into” which means doctors know they are going to work long hours when they apply for the job so they should stop complaining. The issue with this is that doctors are striking to improve patient safety, not so that they have more money in their bank account (the increased pay would encourage more NHS staff to stay in the NHS, its not about individual salaries but the overall effect on the workforce). They aren’t complaining about the long hours, they are complaining that patient safety is currently severely compromised and the main reason is low pay is encouraging staff to quit. Also, even if it’s exactly what you expected, it doesn’t mean it's okay.
In conclusion, the general public often misunderstand this topic because they misunderstand the real reason why healthcare staff are striking. They just think something along the lines of “doctors already earn enough money. They don’t need anymore and they are killing patients by not going to work” when this couldn’t be further from the truth. Per hour, healthcare staff are often underpaid, which contributes to the staffing crisis the NHS currently has. Low staff numbers contribute to increased risk of patient safety and now striking seems like the only option to change this.
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