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Responding to misleading suggestions in the media that the BMA has said some
GPs could ‘strike’ over fears they will not be insured during a
flu pandemic, Dr Laurence Buckman, Chairman of the BMA’s GPs Committee,
said:
“The BMA has issued joint guidance with the Royal College of General
Practitioners to help GP practices plan how they will work during a flu pandemic.
GPs are not considering and have never considered strike action over this
issue and the BMA would not support such action. Media reports claiming this
to be the case are wholly inaccurate. Indeed the evidence so far is that GPs
in areas where there have been outbreaks have pulled out all the stops for
their patients and I have complete faith that this will continue to be the
case.
A flu pandemic will put huge strain on the NHS and doctors will be working
in exceptional circumstances, which is why the BMA has been working closely
with the UK governments to plan for and ensure the smooth running of the service
during a pandemic. The issue of death in service for locums is one of the
few areas still to be ironed out, it affects a minority of GPs and we are
working to resolve it quickly.”
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(BMA) on 16 June 2009
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