Doctors’ strikes have now cost the NHS £3bn - here's why they're holding out for better deal

Doctors’ strikes have now cost the NHS £3bn - here's why they're holding out for better dealMirror Health Editor Martin Bagot breaks down what the Government’s position is - and why the doctors' union is holding out for moreCommentsNewsMartin Bagot Health and Science Editor16:55, 07 Apr 2026View 2 ImagesStriking doctors' resolve appears strong - but so does the Government's(Image: Ian Vogler / Daily Mirror)The increasingly bitter dispute between doctors’ union leaders and Wes Streeting has now apparently resulted in a staggering £3 billion cost to the NHS.‌Just as doctors downed their stethoscopes for the 15th time on Tuesday, Health Secretary Mr Streeting told broadcasters that this could have paid for two new hospitals to be built. Doctors responded by saying he could have settled their dispute for £2 billion. These were the latest salvos in the claim-and-counter-claim between Mr Streeting and the British Medical Association (BMA), which has proven itself to be one of the most effective unions in the country in mobilising sustained industrial action from its highly educated members.‌But most people will be asking, who is being unreasonable here? Here we will examine the case of both the Government and the BMA in this costly dispute for the NHS which has now dragged on since 2023 and resulted in hundreds of thousands of hospital appointments being cancelled.‌READ MORE: Junior doctors begin 6-day strike as row over £3bn cost escalates with Wes StreetingREAD MORE: Full list as NHS urges people to do five things as doctors strikeView 2 ImagesStriking doctors on a picket line in Newcastle yesterday(Image: Andy Commins)This industrial dispute started back in March 2023 when Rishi Sunak was Prime Minister and Conservative governments had overseen over a decade of pay erosion for public sector workers. “Pay restoration” was the demand from resident doctors - then called junior doctors - who had seen their real terms pay cut by around a quarter sin...