English doctors’ strike could be catastrophic, official says

LONDON (AP) — Britain is bracing for a four-day walkout by tens of thousands of doctors at the state-funded health care system. One official said the strike Tuesday by doctors early in their career could be “catastrophic” and postpone up to 350,000 appointments. A three-day strike last month crippled the health system that has been trying to dig out of an appointment backlog that predates the pandemic and has led to longer waiting times. The doctors’ union is asking for a 35% pay rise to bring junior doctors’ pay back to 2008 levels. The health secretary says the demand is unrealistic.