[View the story "#24NoMore: Irish doctors hold strike for shorter shifts" on Storify ]#24NoMore: Irish doctors hold strike for shorter shifts Junior doctors in Ireland strike for an end to 24-hour shifts, citing concerns for patient safety. Storified by AJAMStream · Tue, Oct 08 2013 14:33:56
TheJournal.ie: Junior doctors protest outside the Mater HospitalVideo TheJournal.ie
Images from the protests were widely shared using the hashtag
#24nomore .
St James's still going strong! #24nomore http://twitter.com/IMO_IRL/status/387608826419355648/photo/1Irish Medical Org
Sending support to the junior doctors outside CUH. #24NoMore #CUH #Cork #JuniorDoctors #HSE http://twitter.com/aliocall/status/387592407585677312/photo/1AliOCallaghan
@broadsheet_ie Thousands of Irish non-consultant hospital doctors striking today for fair working hours #24nomore http://twitter.com/GBeecham/status/387531827327819776/photo/1Gabriel Beecham
One striker called on Health Minister James Reilly to take action:
NCHD strike at St. James's #24nomore #NCHD http://twitter.com/ronan_glynn/status/387595235003760640/photo/1Ronan glynn
Some Irish citizens said they would feel safer in hospitals knowing their doctors had shorter shifts.
Fully support the junior doctors' strike. How anyone can feel safe in a hospital under those conditions is beyond me. #24nomoreWilliam Fitzgerald
Why anyone would NOT support our #juniordoctors Do you really want a doctor who has been working more than 24 hours treating you? #24nomoreAmy Ní Dhonnabháin
Medical professionals expressed support for the strike.
Every #pharmacist knows over-tired hospital doctors make more mistakes. Excessive working hours are a patient safety risk. #24nomoreDarragh O'Loughlin
I fully support the Irish #24nomore campaign. You cannot give your patients decent care if you've been working for 36 consecutive hours.Dr Helgi
Best of luck to our Irish junior doctor counterparts as they strike to improve patient safety and working lives #24NoMoreMatt
The effort also drew the attention of musicians and celebrities both in Ireland and abroad.
Best wishes to all striking Jr. Docs in Ireland 2day. For you, mistakes can cost lives. (For me, people don't clap as loud...) #24nomoreEleanor McEvoy
Shoutout to the Irish doctors on the picket lines across Ireland today! http://jrnl.ie/1119553Tom Morello
Netizens shared images of some of the posters and cartoons used by the strikers.
Irish junior doctors striking today over safer working hours. All the best. #24NoMore http://twitter.com/tweediatrics/status/387456443731161088/photo/1David
"Even Jack Bauer won't work for more than 24 hours" #24nomore http://twitter.com/leedalyire/status/387493839629344768/photo/1Lee Daly
The day-long strike
did not affect emergency services or cancer treatments. However, 3,000 surgical procedures and 12,000 appointments were cancelled due to the strike. The Irish Patients' Association said it supports shorter hours, but criticized the means chosen by junior doctors to achieve that end.
#rtenews #nomore24 Barry O Brien 12000 outpatients 3000 planned elective procedure cancelled for tues, could be weeks to rescheduleIrish Patients Assoc
#nomore24 #rtenews #imo Dont penalise the hospital/patient, sanction the manager increments bonusesIrish Patients Assoc
Professor Eoin O'Brien, a renowned cardiologist and instructor at the medical research center Conway Institute, criticized the strike in
an interview , calling it "morally reprehensible."
Professor Eoin O' Brien told RTÉ News that refusing to treat a sick patient goes against everything a doctor is trained to uphold. He said the strike was misguided and he called on junior doctors to look at alternative forms of industrial protest rather than denying sick people the treatment they need. An alternative he said would be to refuse to participate in all HSE administrative functions, such as sitting on hospital committees, and a refusal to sign certificates such as sick and death certs.rte.ie
Professor O'Brien's comments on the strike received significant online resistance from those who supported the junior doctors' actions:
Senior doctor calls junior doctors' strike action "morally reprehensible" from his comfortable study. #ireland #rtenewsTom Louwerse
Any criticisms that patients will be in danger due to strike - this action is being taken BECAUSE patients are in danger #24nomoreDanielle Barron
In a statement, Prime Minister Enda Kenny urged striking doctors to return to negotiations with the government:
“I would say the place to sort it out is at the Labour Relations Commission — not across the airwaves. That’s a tried and tested forum,”irishtimes.com
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