HEALTHCARE workers have been betrayed by Stormont's "negligent" decision not to impose a fresh lockdown, a senior doctor has said.
Circuit-breaker restrictions have been extended by one week ahead of the partial reopening of hospitality next Friday, following a prolonged political wrangle which exposed divisions between Sinn Féin and the DUP.
BMA Northern Ireland chair Dr Tom Black warned that hospitals are already over capacity.
"The national response to a situation like that would be to bring in a further lockdown, to make that more severe, yet politicians have decided to ease restrictions over the next two weeks and open up society.
"That decision is incompetent and negligent and saying to the healthcare workers that 'we are abandoning you'.
"If the healthcare workers thought that they had been betrayed by the Executive, I think that would be a reasonable stance to take."
Meanwhile, a conference will today reflect on a "challenging" year for medics.
The NI Local Medical Committee conference, which is being held virtually, will debate a range of motions relating to Covid-19 and will include a speech by health minister Robin Swann.
Dr Alan Stout, BMA NI GP chair, will warn that issues affecting the health service are "likely to continue for some time, including the challenge of delivering any Covid vaccine over the next year".
"We have been stretched and we have been challenged, practices have changed and adapted literally overnight and at all times we kept the health of the population and the interests and care of our patients as our priority," he said.
