Doctors in England will strike in the run-up to Christmas, the British Medical Association has confirmed.
Resident doctors, formerly junior doctors, will walk out from 17 to 22 December.
It comes after a five-day walkout last month.
Dr Jack Fletcher, chair of the BMA’s resident doctors committee (RDC), said: “With the government failing to put forward a credible plan to fix the jobs crisis for resident doctors at the same time as pushing a real terms pay cut for them, we have no choice but to announce more strike dates.
“However, these do not need to go ahead. Gradually raising pay over a few years and some common-sense fixes to the job security of our doctors are well within the reach of this government.
“It would ensure both the long-term strength of our healthcare workforce and spare the country the indignity of see unemployed doctors at a time patients are queuing up to even even see a GP.
He added: “This month we’ve seen the full farcical extent of the jobs crisis, with second-year doctors applying for training posts being asked to provide evidence of experience well beyond what would have previously been asked of them.
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“It is precisely this sort of situation which is driving doctors away from jobs and to the picket line. But it is not too late for government to get a grip on the situation.”
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