England's Secretary of State for Health Jeremy Hunt has decided to move forward with a new contract for junior physicians in the National Health Service, despite its rejection by the physicians' union, according to The Guardian.
After months of negotiations, Mr. Hunt said the union, the British Medical Association, was being inflexible and blocking NHS' path to higher quality care seven days a week, according to the report. The contract would require junior physicians, or residents, to work more often on weekends without overtime pay, but it would increase physicians' pay 13.5 percent, up 2 percent from the initial contract offering, according to the report.
The BMA issued a statement that accused the government of "bullying" physicians and that it will not accept the contract. "This is clearly a political fight for the government rather than an attempt to come to a reasonable solution for all junior doctors," Johann Malawana, MD, BMA junior physician committee chair, said in the statement. He also suggested the move may lead many junior physicians to leave NHS.
"The government's shambolic handling of this process from start to finish has totally alienated a generation of junior doctors — the hospital doctors and general practitioners of the future, and there is a real risk that some will vote with their feet," Dr. Malawana said.
"Progress has been made on almost 100 different points of discussion with agreements secured with the BMA on approximately 90 percent of them. Sadly, despite this progress, and willingness from the government to flexible on the crucial issue of Saturday pay, Sir David wrote to me yesterday advising that a negotiated solution is not realistically possible," Mr. Hunt said.
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