Published Wednesday, 05 October 2011
Thousands of hospital staff and education staff took part in the strike organised by union Unison against budget cuts, in the the first action of its kind in 30 years in Northern Ireland.
The union urged its 26,000 members to take part in the picket which began after midnight, after 18% of workers voted in favour of the walkout.
Mr Poots has insisted that the strike will not achieve anything and said that it "will not bring a single penny to Northern Ireland as a result."
"Peter Robinson won't be receiving a call from David Cameron to say that there is several billion for the health service in Northern Ireland as a result of the strike - but they are bringing pain and discomfort to ill and vulnerable people," he said.
Defending the strike, Unison's regional secretary Patricia McKeown hit back at Mr Poots' comments.
"He appears determined to stick with the budget which will bring the Health Service to its knees over a four-year period," she said.
"If Minister Poots holds his position of 'not a single penny more' then he will have failed in his role as guardian of the Health Service on behalf of the people of Northern Ireland."
First Minister Peter Robinson echoed comments from the health minister, arguing that the strike was not going to make "any difference".
"The protest is one against the UK government. They're the ones that reduced the funds available to us. We have to live within our means," the DUP leader said.
But Sinn Féin health spokesperson Michelle Gildernew said her party is backing the strike action.
"We fully support the right of unions to take industrial action and we will to continue to work in alliance with the trade unions and community and voluntary sector to campaign against cuts and to defend community and public services, especially in the most deprived areas," she said.
"Our ministers are continuing to ensure that every possible measure is taken to protect front-line services, despite the challenges of the current economic climate imposed by the Tory cuts agenda."
Ms Gildernew said the Executive needs "the necessary fiscal powers to tackle the economic crisis head on and these must include tax varying and borrowing powers."
In total, 12,000 outpatient appointments were cancelled in Belfast and 130 elective procedures postponed on Wednesday.
The Southern Trust cancelled 440 outpatient appointments and 48 procedures, while 200 clinics and surgery appointments were cancelled at the Western Trust.
The Northern Trust has said that no operations were cancelled, while no figures were available for the South Eastern Trust.