"Junior doctors' strikes cost NHS £1 billion as UK braces for more"

The ongoing strikes by junior doctors in the UK have cost the National Health Service (NHS) approximately £1 billion this year alone, according to health bosses. The strikes, which seek a salary increase of 35%, have resulted in the cancellation of over 700,000 NHS appointments since they began seven months ago. The cost includes paying premium rates to consultants to cover for absent junior doctors and the lost income from canceled activities. The strikes come despite a six percent pay rise and a £1,250 lump sum offered by the government, which the British Medical Association (BMA) rejected. The strikes have also exacerbated the backlog of patients awaiting treatment, which now stands at 7.6 million in England.