NEARLY 2,000 junior doctors earned over £90,000 in one year, the Sun on Sunday can reveal.
But they are still planning to walk out on strike this week demanding a whopping 29 per cent pay rise.
Around five per cent of doctors in specialist training made more than £91,700, NHS England data from April 2023 to March 2024 shows.
It means over 1,800 junior doctors, now known as residents, were in the top five per cent of UK earners in that period.
Critics said the shocking revelation shows just how outrageous it is that junior doctors are going on strike this week.
They will down tools for five days from Friday morning.
Shadow health secretary Ed Argar said the strikes were a “slap in the face” for Brits who will pay the price.
He added: “These strikes are irresponsible, unnecessary and wrong, and should be called off now.
“Resident doctors will be coming off the front line and going on the picket line and this kind of chaos puts patients and lives at risk.”
Health Secretary Wes Streeting informed the Commons that an average first-year doctor earns £43,275, which is significantly higher than the average salary of a full-time worker in the country.
This week talks between the leftie British Medical Association and Wes Streeting ended in a stalemate.
A BMA spokesman clarified that such high earnings are typically received by a small number of more senior resident doctors who work multiple weekends, handle anti-social hours, and take on extra shifts to fill schedule gaps.
He further explained that this situation highlights the severe workforce shortage in the NHS, as these doctors, much like many others, sacrifice their time to cover as many shifts as possible to ensure patients receive necessary care.
