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Letter of the week: Pensions threat must be our line in the sand

Altruism, and Dr Andrew Mimnagh's wish to protect patient care, are admirable.

I won't strike until the day the NHS dies

Sadly, there are those in the Government, both elected and working in the Department of Health, who simply see this as a huge lever to abuse, denigrate and generally debase our profession.

The repeated refusal to stand up to this behaviour has led to roughly one recruitment crisis every 10-12 years.

The next one is starting to build momentum. The cycle has not been broken.

Politicians treat us this way because we let them. Because we decide not to fight, because we decide our patients, whatever their demands, must come first.

One day our profession will die, and if it happens in the near future, we will be the ones guilty of letting it happen.

I am not advocating strike action, but personally, yes, I would turn the work over to a local ‘emergency-only' service for 24 hours midweek and cancel everyone just to let the world know how I feel.

I would work harder the day before and the days after (and probably work in the emergency cover). I suspect there would be minimal if any impact on my patients. But a message would have been sent.

We are not robust enough in the defence of our profession, our contract, our pension, our income or our workload – which is why the cycle has not been broken.

From Dr Brian McGregor

York