Verum writes: Doctors on strike

Should doctors be considering strike action in pursuit of improving their terms and conditions? To answer this question, let’s firstly consider one section of the Hippocratic oath which states; “I will remember that I remain a member of society, with special obligations to all my fellow human beings”, which is closely followed by; “May I always act so as to preserve the finest traditions of my calling and may I long experience the joy of healing those who seek my help”.

This is an oath that many doctors still take at the end of their training, so it was somewhat of a surprise to me to see that doctors are planning to go on strike, for the first time in NHS history. This action is being taken as a result of a dispute over terms and conditions, where increases in basic pay are offset by changes to pay increments for evening and weekend work.