The British Medical Association (BMA) this
week called on the Scottish Executive to tackle the medical academic
recruitment
crisis
that they say threatens
to jeopardise
plans to increase the number of medical students being educated in Scotland.
In a letter to the Scottish Executive, following it’s response
to Sir Kenneth Calman’s Review of Basic Medical Education in Scotland,
the BMA welcomed the Health Minister’s pledge to increase in the
number of medical students in Scotland by up to 25%.
However, doctors’ leaders
warned that this was being proposed at a time when medical academic staff
numbers are continuing to fall.
Recent figures show that, in a single year, Scotland’s medical
schools have lost 6% of their clinical academic staff.1 The hardest hit
medical school in Scotland was Aberdeen which had a 12.8% drop in the
number of clinical academic staff employed last year. These recent figures
are much higher than the rest of the UK.
Dr Stewart Irvine, Chairman of the BMA Scottish Medical Academic Staff
Committee said:
“ We are very concerned that clinical academic staff numbers are
being allowed to fall so much at a time when the Scottish Executive is
looking to substantially increase the number of medical students. Scotland
clearly does need more trained doctors, but who is going to educate them
if this drop in medical academics is not reversed ?
_ Scotland has
a deservedly high reputation for the quality of teaching and research
undertaken in its medical schools. We are concerned
that this could be jeopardised if steps are not taken to ensure that
a career in academic medicine remains an attractive option for doctors
in training. The Scottish Executive must take immediate action to ensure
that there are enough teachers in our medical schools; without them,
it will be impossible to teach the doctors of the future and provide
Scotland with the medical workforce it needs.”
Clinical academics are key staff in medical schools and have a wide-ranging
role. They educate students and undertake biomedical and clinical research.
They also play an important part in the NHS by providing direct patient
care.
News is included on this website
to inform visitors about current health issues, but not to endorse
any particular view or activity. Material in this news item
was first published by the British Medical Association on 4th September
2005. For further information, please visit their
website using the link below.
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