This site is intended for health professionals only


Doctor strike war of words, £92m rehire of NHS staff and human organs are being grown inside sheep

The BMA and Government are in a ‘war of words’ over tomorrow’s planned junior doctor walkout, reports the Independent.

The paper says both parties are accusing the other of putting patients at risk by their actions, as some 38,000 junior doctors may strike tomorrow.

The BMA says the proposed contract reforms would make doctors work dangerously long shifts, while the health secretary Jeremy Hunt said ‘some elements’ of the BMA were using the strike to ‘a political opportunity to bash a Tory Government that they hate’.

Health service reforms have seen £92m spent on redundancy payouts for staff that was immediately rehired, the Times claims.

The paper said doctors and patient leaders expressed anger at the waste of taxpayers’ money at a time when hospitals are expecting a £2.2bn overspend.

Labour shadow health secretary Heidi Alexander said patients ‘left waiting hours on end in A&E’ would be ‘rightly furious’.

The Times also reports on it front page that human organs are now being grown inside sheep and pigs.

Scientists have implanted at least 50 animals with ‘human-animal chimera embryos’ aimed at developing functional human organs for transplant.

Not yet legal in Britain, the paper says the process is expected to be approved this week.