英伦广角 英国初级医生罢工抗议待遇过低

“Save our NHS, save our NHS.”

In medical terms, the condition of the fight by junior doctors to stop the new contracts may not be terminal, but it’s certainly worsened overnight. Months of campaigning and industrial actions has already seen a series of one-day strikes in hospitals, and was to be stepped up in the form of three five-day walkouts in October, November and December. But patients, the public and doctors have voiced concerns of patients’ safety, and strikes have been suspended.  

“The BMA Junior Doctors Committee has met and considered feedback from junior doctors, from patients and from the public. They felt that the strike action was unlikely to be safe, that the NHS was unable to cope. And although we have ongoing¹ and serious concerns with the contract, patients’ safety is always our primary concern, and so we have decided² to suspend the industrial action.”

The Department of Health says: “We welcome the news that the strikes have been suspended, and commend the leadership of Dr. McCourt. The best way to rebuild trust now is for industrial action to be called off permanently³ in the interest of patients - and we urge the BMA to do so.”

The announcement removed the threat of up to 6,000 operations being canceled on each of the 15 days of industrial action, but some in the NHS still fear problems in the longer term if the contracts are implemented⁴.

“It will X mean in the short term that there won’t be cancellations of procedures and operations and disruption, but in the long term, the concern, of course from the BMA and the junior doctors particularly and other NHS staff is that this contract will endanger patient’s safety because you are stretching...most importantly, you are stretching five days into a seven-day NHS without any extra resources or funding or stuff.”  

Patient groups will support the removal of the threat of strike action, and the Royal College of Pediatrics and Child Health agrees. It says: “The country can be proud of the junior doctors’ mature, compassionate⁵ and principal determination during this damaging dispute. We’ve been calling for both sides to get back to the negotiating table and end the deadlock⁶ of the past months.”  

But despite this latest back down, the junior doctors say the fight does not end here, and haven’t as yet, ruled out the possibility of more industrial action int he future.

1 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

2 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

3 permanently   

adv.永恒地，永久地，固定不变地

参考例句：

• The accident left him permanently scarred.那次事故给他留下了永久的伤疤。
• The ship is now permanently moored on the Thames in London.该船现在永久地停泊在伦敦泰晤士河边。

4 implemented   

v.实现( implement的过去式和过去分词 )；执行；贯彻；使生效

参考例句：

• This agreement, if not implemented, is a mere scrap of paper. 这个协定如不执行只不过是一纸空文。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The economy is in danger of collapse unless far-reaching reforms are implemented. 如果不实施影响深远的改革，经济就面临崩溃的危险。 来自辞典例句

5 compassionate   

adj.有同情心的，表示同情的

参考例句：

• She is a compassionate person.她是一个有同情心的人。
• The compassionate judge gave the young offender a light sentence.慈悲的法官从轻判处了那个年轻罪犯。

6 deadlock   

n.僵局，僵持

参考例句：

• The negotiations reached a deadlock after two hours.两小时后，谈判陷入了僵局。
• The employers and strikers are at a deadlock over the wage.雇主和罢工者在工资问题上相持不下。