THE junior doctors’ strike - which will see medics standing on picket lines at York Hospital and across the country for four days this week - has divided opinion in York.

Many who have commented on The Press’ Facebook page support the striking doctors, and say they deserve a pay rise.

But a significant minority say they are paid enough – and are letting down patients by their action.

As reported in the Press yesterday, patients at York Hospital face cancelled or delayed operations because of the strike.

The hospital says it is prioritising urgent and emergency treatment, and has urged patients only to call 999 in a ‘life-threatening emergency’.

Health secretary Steve Barclay said the demand by members of the British Medical Association (BMA) for pay to be restored to 2008 levels would amount to a 35 per cent rise and was ‘unreasonable’.

But doctors on the picket line told The Press that they were only asking for their pay to be restored – and that, with burned-out doctors either quitting or heading abroad, they feared for the future of the NHS.

Dr Hester Baverstock said the most recently qualified doctors, with five years of training under their belt, were making life-saving decisions day in, day out, for just £27,000 a year. When the long hours worked by junior doctors were taken into account, that amounted to about £14 an hour, the cardiology registrar said.

She said she would like to be able to work for the NHS her whole career. But she added that staff shortages and pressures were so great that ‘sometimes now we are not able to deliver the care that we want to be able to deliver’.

Of the dozens of people who had commented on The Press Facebook page at the time of writing, half (35/ 70) - among them patients who have had operations cancelled - backed the striking doctors. About a third (22/70), however, said doctors were wrong to strike, while the remainder were non-committal.

Among those backing the strikers were Carly Price and Emma Willetts, who are both waiting for operations.

Carly wrote: “I am waiting for an operation for something that could be life threatening, and yes I support the strikes.” Emma added: “I support you striking, but can't deny I'm gutted my operation has been cancelled for a second time.”

Nicola Bethnie Raper said ‘(I) fully support every single one of you guys’, while Anne Gledhill-Myhill posted: “I stand in support of you all and all health care professionals working in a now-inadequate NHS.”

Anton Banks, meanwhile, said: “Good for them. The health service now runs only because of the goodwill and dedication of the staff.”

Some accused the striking doctors of being ‘greedy’, however.

“I wish I earned their starting wage,” said Daryl Douglas. “The country can't afford what they are asking for at this moment in time. They need to all get a grip, stop thinking of themselves.”

“The problem with (the) NHS is the staff (are) too greedy,” added Jonathan Michael Allen.

Fran Baker asked whether those supporting the strikers would feel the same ‘if you or a loved one has been waiting for an appointment that could be life threatening’.

But Amanda Wic said: “They’re striking because they’re at the end if their tether, and are desperate to do their job safely. If they don’t get a pay rise, many will quit or move overseas, leaving many of us without any or very basic healthcare provision.”