Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

BMA Union labelled sexist and racist by medics

A 2019 report said that the BMA was an “old boys' club� in which women colleagues were referred to as “silly girls� and “little ladies.�

BMA Union labelled sexist and racist by medics

The chairwoman of the British Medical Association’s (BMA) GP committee in England, Dr Farah Jameel has allegedly received sexist comments describing her as “naughty” and “petulant” in BMA emails. The doctor took sick leave after receiving these comments and is reported to have said it is “ironic and upsetting” that she was being held up publicly as an example of how the BMA was becoming more diverse.

Describing the comments as “appalling,” Dr Nikita Kanani, NHS England’s director of primary care is quoted as saying, “I know from my own experience that being subjected to sexist behaviour can leave you feeling drained, angry and devalued.”


According to members of the British Medical Association,  doctors from ethnic minorities, international medical graduates and locum doctors have also encountered discrimination.

In 2019, Advocate Daphne Romney QC investigated sexism and sexual harassment at BMA. According to her report it was found that the BMA was an “old boys’ club” in which female colleagues were referred to as “silly girls” and “little ladies.”

Though the BMA has produced a report projecting the progress it has made to include the recommendations from Daphne, only 55 percent of the report’s suggestions have been implemented. In a debate on the issue, doctors complained progress was too slow.

Members of the BMA feel the union is “failing to value and support female members and members from minority groups.”

“The implicit message this level of inaction sends out is that discrimination is an issue but ... not enough of an issue to actually act on,” said Marguerite O’Riordan, a medical student.

Dr Latifa Patel, BMA representative body chairwoman is reported to have said “The BMA is committed to making meaningful progress on these issues; to listening and working with members to implement the Romney review in full.”

On the other hand, a GP Dr Alexandra Freeman has compared systematic sexism in the BMA to “domestic abuse.” She is quoted as saying, “I likened this to a situation of domestic abuse, where it is kept hidden behind closed doors and where the victims are made to feel responsible.”

Recently, a review by the British Medical Association found that a staggering 60% of Asian and 57% of black medics see racism as an impediment  to career progression. It also revealed that instances of racism are significantly under-reported in the National Health Service and a growing mental health burden on minority ethnic doctors.

More For You

Sara Sharif e1692881096452

Sara was discovered dead in her bunkbed on 10 August 2023.

Sara was discovered dead in her bunkbed on 10 August 2023.

'Chatterbox with biggest smile': Headteacher pays tribute to Sara Sharif

SARA SHARIF, a ten-year-old girl who suffered fatal abuse at the hands of her father and stepmother, is being remembered as a cheerful and caring pupil with a love for singing.

Her father, Urfan Sharif, 42, and stepmother, Beinash Batool, 30, were found guilty on 11 December of her murder at their home in Woking, Surrey, on 8 August 2023. Sara’s uncle, Faisal Malik, 29, was convicted of causing or allowing the death of a child.

Keep ReadingShow less
Healthcare workers hold placards as they demonstrate on Westminster Bridge, near to St Thomas' Hospital in London on May 1, 2023. (Photo: Getty Images)
Healthcare workers hold placards as they demonstrate on Westminster Bridge, near to St Thomas' Hospital in London on May 1, 2023. (Photo: Getty Images)

Teachers, nurses warn of strikes over 2.8 per cent pay rise proposal

TEACHERS and nurses may strike after the government recommended a 2.8 per cent pay rise for public sector workers for the next financial year.

Ministers cautioned that higher pay awards would require cuts in Whitehall budgets.

Keep ReadingShow less
A man walks past a mural that says ‘Northern Ireland’, on Sandy Row in Belfast, Northern Ireland, August 11, 2024. (Photo: Reuters)
A man walks past a mural that says ‘Northern Ireland’, on Sandy Row in Belfast, Northern Ireland, August 11, 2024. (Photo: Reuters)

Northern Ireland approves extension of post-Brexit trade rules

NORTHERN Ireland’s devolved government has voted to continue implementing post-Brexit trading arrangements under the Windsor Framework, a deal signed between London and the European Union in February 2023.

The vote in the Northern Ireland Assembly at Stormont extended the arrangement for four years.

Keep ReadingShow less
'Covid bereavement rates in Scotland highest among Asians'
Ethnic groups were found to be two-and-a-half times more likely to have experienced the loss of a close family member.

'Covid bereavement rates in Scotland highest among Asians'

THE bereavement rates due to Covid in Scotland have been highest among those identifying with ‘Any other’ ethnic group (68 per cent), followed by Indians (44 per cent) and Pakistanis (38 per cent), a new study revealed. This is significantly higher than the national average of around 25 per cent.

Ethnic groups were found to be two-and-a-half times more likely to have experienced the loss of a close family member during the Covid crisis.

Keep ReadingShow less
Harmeet Dhillon gives a benediction at the end of the first day of the 2024 Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin,  on July 15, 2024. (Photo: Getty Images)
Harmeet Dhillon gives a benediction at the end of the first day of the 2024 Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on July 15, 2024. (Photo: Getty Images)

Trump nominates Harmeet Dhillon for top Department of Justice role

US PRESIDENT-ELECT Donald Trump has nominated Indian-American attorney Harmeet K Dhillon as assistant attorney general for civil rights at the Department of Justice.

“I am pleased to nominate Harmeet K Dhillon as assistant attorney general for civil rights at the US Department of Justice,” Trump announced on Monday on Truth Social, his social media platform.

Keep ReadingShow less