McGrath says Minister must listen to doctors and avert strike action
SDLP Opposition Health spokesperson Colin McGrath MLA has said that potential strike action by doctors should be a wake-up call to the Health Minister and his Department.
He was speaking after the BMA announced that it was to ballot doctors amid concerns over pay and working conditions.
South Down MLA Colin McGrath said: “The announcement from the British Medical Association that hospital doctors in Northern Ireland are to be balloted for industrial action should set alarm bells ringing right across our health system.
“No doctor takes the decision to consider industrial action lightly.
“These are professionals who come to work every day to care for patients, often in extremely pressured environments.
“The fact that they now feel they have no other option speaks volumes about the level of frustration and the failure to properly address workforce concerns.
“A 3.5% pay uplift, in the context of years of pay erosion and rising costs, was always going to fall short.
“But more concerning is the lack of clarity and certainty from the Department of Health around both improving the offer and even delivering it in a timely way.
“We cannot continue to run a health service where staff feel undervalued, overstretched and unheard.
“That is how we lose them and Northern Ireland is already struggling to recruit and retain the doctors we need.
“If this situation escalates to widespread industrial action across secondary care, it will have a very real impact on patients who are already waiting far too long for treatment. That is why urgent, meaningful engagement is needed now.
“The Minister must step up, engage seriously with the BMA, and bring forward a credible plan that addresses pay, workforce stability and long-term sustainability of services.
“Ignoring the concerns of doctors is not an option,” added Colin McGrath.
