IVF pioneer Lord Robert Winston blasts resident doctors for taking 'nuclear option' by striking
IVF pioneer and broadcaster Professor Robert Winston has hit out at the decision by resident doctors to strike - describing it to LBC as the "nuclear option".
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Members of the British Medical Association in England are due to walk out later this month in a row over pay.
They're striking over a 29% rise to bring salaries in line with 2008 wages - once inflation is taken into account.
Professor Winston told Shelagh Fogarty going on strike goes directly against the interests of patients.
The Labour peer said the walkout is "highly dangerous" and could harm trust in the profession.
"I don't believe that this vote of the BMA actually reflects the best solution either for the doctors or for the health service or for the public at large."
The 84-year-old has now quit as a member of the BMA after 60 years over the decision - branding it as the "nuclear option".
Prof Winston said: “I’ve paid my membership for a long time. I feel very strongly that this isn’t the time to be striking. I think that the country is really struggling in all sorts of ways, people are struggling in all sorts of ways."
“Strike action completely ignores the vulnerability of people in front of you," he told The Times.
He urged the union to reconsider, saying it is “important that doctors consider their own responsibility much more seriously”, and stressed that the walkout could cause “long-term damage” to people’s faith in doctors.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting called for resident doctors to “abandon their unreasonable rush to strike” and said that NHS recovery is “fragile”.Mr Streeting told the Commons on Thursday: “We have put the NHS on the road to recovery, but we all know that the NHS is still hanging by a thread, and that the BMA is threatening to pull it.”
Taking calls on LBC, Mr Streeting described the strikes as "the last thing" the NHS needs and urged them to hit pause on their action.
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He said the walkouts risk undermining work the government has done to improve the health service, with waiting lists down and more people being seen.
Speaking with Shelagh Fogarty, the Health Secretary said he'd be up for a "discussion" about pension pots compared to take home pay.
The BMA has been contacted for comment.