Tony O’Brien: Junior doctors’ case deserves the government and media’s urgent attention

Despite two years of lauding and applauding our health service and endless political platitudes about the debt we owe our health service staff, relations between doctors and the government could hardly be worse

Junior doctors are routinely required to work more than 24 hours in a shift and over 48 hours a week. Picture: Getty

Years, decades even, of broken promises and casual disrespect have undermined morale, destroyed trust, fuelled a worsening brain drain and done huge harm to the capacity and capability of our health service.

A month ago, Stephen Donnelly, the Minister for Health, published a doorstop-sized plan to reduce our huge public waiting lists for diagnosis, assessment and treatment. He is right to put so much focus on this challenge, but without sorting out the gaping deficits ...