Junior doctors have staged a picket lines outside Salisbury District Hospital all this week as part of 72 hours of strike action.

The British Medical Association (BMA), who is leading the strikes, released a statement on Tuesday, April 11, the first day of the strikes, illustrating the issues of low pay among junior doctors by outlining their new ad campaign which gives the example of three junior doctors who together would earn a total of only £66.55 for an appendectomy that takes one hour.

Several junior doctors from Salisbury District Hospital gathered at 7.30am on the chilly morning of April 11 to picket at the junction of Odstock Road and Victoria Drive East.

Many showed their support for the junior doctors. Cars driving along Odstock Road honked their horns, flashed their headlights, and children waved. SDH security guards brought tea and biscuits for the picketers.

Will Phipps, BMA representative for Salisbury, said: “The level of support has been fantastic. The same as we had during previous strikes. We’re getting cars going past constantly beeping, which is really encouraging.

“The [Salisbury NHS Foundation] Trust have been supportive. They’ve offered us things like tea and biscuits, hot water.”