JUNIOR doctors on the Isle of Wight will stage a continuous 72-hour walkout starting Monday (March 13) after the British Medical Association (BMA) said the health secretary left them 'no choice'.

Nearly 40,000 junior doctors in England voted 98 per cent in favour to take industrial action after negotiations over pay failed.

Strike action will take place on the Island from 7am Monday to 7am Thursday (March 16) for its first round of action.

St Mary’s Hospital emergency department will remain open for those who need urgent care during this period.

Isle of Wight County Press: St Mary's Hospital in NewportSt Mary's Hospital in Newport (Image: Newsquest)

The IW NHS Trust said it is working with its teams to safely manage the impact of the industrial action and continue to provide continuity of care for patients, but some appointments will face disruption. 

Other Trusts across the south will also be affected by the strike action, including Portsmouth, Southampton and Bournemouth.

The BMA has been campaigning for full pay restoration, with junior doctors having experienced a 26 per cent real-terms pay cut since 2008 amid a cost-of-living crisis and 'spiralling working conditions in the NHS'.

Isle of Wight County Press: Nearly 40,000 junior doctors in England voted 98 per cent in favour for strike actionNearly 40,000 junior doctors in England voted 98 per cent in favour for strike action (Image: Newsquest)

Rob Laurenson and Vivek Trivedi, co-chairs of the BMA junior doctors committee, said: “Make no mistake, this strike was absolutely in the government’s gift to avert; they know it, we know it, and our patients also need to know it.

“We have tried, since last summer, to get each health secretary we have had round the negotiating table.

“The fact that so many junior doctors in England have voted yes for strike action should leave ministers in absolutely no doubt what we have known for a long time and have been trying to tell them. 

"We are demoralised, angry and no longer willing to work for wages that have seen a real terms decline of over 26 per cent in the past 15 years.

“This, together with the stress and exhaustion of working in an NHS in crisis, has brought us to this moment, brought us to a 72-hour walkout.”