The 48-hour strike which has seen a walkout by thousands of NHS consultants across England is a last-ditch attempt to save the profession in the face of years of pay erosion and undermined patient care, the British Medical Association has said.

This firm stand, which has caused large-scale disruption to patient care, is being taken by a profession which is declaring that “enough is enough” amid a pay row with the Government, according to BMA consultants committee chair Dr Vishal Sharma.

He told a rally of consultants at the BMA’s central London headquarters: “We have taken a stand and said enough is enough and taken the really hard decision to withdraw your labour and force Government to listen.

“When we say strike action is a last resort, we really mean it is a last resort. We have tried everything to get them to listen. For 15 years we have asked them nicely and for 15 years we have submitted detailed economic arguments.

“We have demonstrated that our pay has fallen not only against inflation but against all our comparator groups. For 15 years, we have pleaded for the Government to listen but they have ignored us and inflicted pay cut after pay cut after pay cut.”

Dr Sharma said this is why they now find their pay has fallen by 35% since 2008 – “a staggering figure which means effectively we are working for four months of the year for free”.

The audience included doctors who said they had felt uncomfortable about having to go on a picket line earlier that day but had been pleased by the warm support of the public.

They also said they felt the situation they found themselves in was so unfair that they felt they had no choice but to go on strike.

Dr Sharma said the idea of owning a home is now vastly vanishing for a large number of doctors and that years of pay erosion are making the profession unattractive to anyone who may consider becoming a doctor in the future.

He accepted the care of some patients would be affected by the strike and said this would be “tough” for consultants to take, but added “that is a key part of why we are taking action – our patients are suffering every single day and face record waiting lists, poor access to urgent emergency care and worsening outcomes”.

Dr Sharma said: “The fault for this lies squarely at the Government’s doors and we must make them change their ways.”

RMT general secretary Mick Lynch also got a round of applause after wishing the consultants “every success” in their campaign.

Members of his union were also on strike on Thursday.

He told the consultants: “You have got to keep fighting.

“As soon as this pay round is over there will be another pay round to come. Then you have got to fight for the funding of our society going forward.

“A change is coming in this country, I can feel it out there.

“They told us that everyone would hate us a year ago. They told us we would be beaten in a fortnight – well, we haven’t won but we are far from being beaten.

“We are determined to get a deal for our people. We hope the BMA is determined to get a deal for their people and seize this dispute through to the bitter end if necessary and fight for the future of our people and to fight for our society.”

To huge applause Mr Lynch said that “part of that change” is to “get rid” of this Government “as quickly as possible”.

Eddie Crouch, chair of the British Dental Association’s Principal Executive Committee, said: “Ministers say they cannot afford pay restoration – it’s very clear they cannot afford not to.”

The NHS dentist warned: “My high street colleagues aren’t taking industrial action but they are voting with their feet and, hand on heart, I cannot tell you whether that service will survive.”

He added: “The workforce plan for dentistry includes tying young graduates to an underfunded service and handcuffing young dentists to a ship that is sinking.

“Underfunded and overstretched, it is the same toxic mix facing colleagues here today.

“Ministers are taking our hospitals down the same road. Don’t let them.”