Junior doctors in England have overwhelmingly voted in favour of going on strike in their dispute with ministers over a new contract which they feel is unfair.
Around 98 per cent voted in favour of a full strike and 99 per cent in favour of action just short of a full strike.
The first walk-out will start on December 1, with another two dates earmarked for December 8 and 16.
"We regret the inevitable disruption that this will cause but it is the government's adamant insistence on imposing a contract that is unsafe for patients in the future, and unfair for doctors now and in the future, that has brought us to this point," British Medical Association (BMA) leader Mark Porter said.
"Our message to him (UK health secretary Jeremy Hunt) is that junior doctors have today made their views perfectly clear but that it is still possible to get back around the negotiating table to deliver a contract that is safe for patients, contains the necessary contractual safeguards to prevent junior doctors being overworked and properly recognises evening and weekend work," he said.
The action is likely to lead to the cancelling and rescheduling of thousands of routine appointments, tests and operations with the NHS forced to prioritise emergency cases.
The doctors' union has asked the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas) to get involved to offer independent arbitration.
The BMA balloted just over 37,700 members, over two-thirds of the workforce, and 76 per cent took part in the ballot.
On the first day of action that has been earmarked, junior doctors will still staff emergency care.
On the other two dates, they will walk out in the knowledge there will be other medics - consultants, staff doctors and locums - that can plug the gaps.
Talks broke down last year, and ministers have since said they will impose the new contracts from next year.
As the ballot papers went out a fortnight ago, the health secretary made a last ditch attempt to persuade doctors to accept the offer. He wrote to all the doctors in the country with a fresh offer.
It included a promise of an 11 per cent rise in basic pay, but the BMA said this was misleading as it was offset by curbs to other elements of the pay package, including unsociable hours payments.
Ministers have promised to protect pay for the first three years of the deal.
But the BMA has said there are insufficient safeguards to stop hospitals overworking doctors and they could lose out financially in the long term.
