Dr David Farren, chair of BMA’s Northern Ireland consultants committee, said: “No doctor wants to take strike action.

“However, there is a palpable sense of anger among all secondary care doctors at years of significant pay erosion in return for trying to deliver care in an overstretched health system.”

Dr Leanne Davison, chair of BMA’s Northern Ireland SAS committee, said the health service can “no longer run on the goodwill of front-line staff”.

“Doctors are choosing to leave the health service or to reduce their contracted hours due to continued pay erosion and we can see the outworkings of this in services having to close due to staffing shortages.

“Those with the power to change this have so far chosen not to, which has forced hospital doctors into the unacceptable position of taking strike action in order to be heard.”

The health minister said to go beyond the 3.5% as recommended by the independent pay review recommendation would have “significant repercussions for nurses, teachers, police officers and indeed the entire public sector workforce”.

“I reiterate my commitment to ensuring HSC colleagues receive their recommended 26/27 pay uplifts, despite the unprecedented shortfall as indicated in my draft budget,” he said.

“There is simply no scope for pay awards beyond the recommendations of the review bodies in 26/27.”