Junior doctors embark on fourth round of strike action

Junior doctors in England and Wales have once again gone on strike over the government's plans to impose a controversial new contract on staff later this year.

Service provision will be restricted to emergency care only for a 48-hour period that began on April 6th and will run until the morning of April 8th, with this latest strike representing the fourth round of industrial action launched over the dispute.

The British Medical Association (BMA) has apologised for the disruption this will cause, but states that it has no other choice due to the government's unwillingness to negotiate constructively about the disagreements its contract proposals have caused.

Talks over the contract have broken down on numerous occasions, with members of the sector expressing concern that the proposals will lead to staff and services becoming overstretched, with female employees seeing a particularly significant impact.

Dr Johann Malawana, the BMA's junior doctor committee chair, said: "Responsibility for industrial action now lies entirely with the government. They must start listening and resume negotiations on a properly funded junior doctor's contract to protect the future of patient care and the NHS."