GOODWILL IN the medical profession is severely strained after a year of being “treated so badly” by the Scottish Government, according to the head of a doctors’ union.
British Medical Association chairman Dr Brian Keighley said The “unwillingness” of the SNP to mitigate the impact of a UK Government decision to take more money from doctors’ pay to put towards their pensions has “severely damaged trust”.
“This has been a really challenging year for the medical profession,” he said in his end-of-year message.
“Doctors’ decision to even consider taking industrial action, up to and including a strike, reflects badly on any government.
“Scottish ministers must recognise that the dispute over pensions has severely damaged trust amongst the medical profession.”
Dr Keighley added: “It is clear that we are most effective when we work together and I hope that as we enter 2013, the Cabinet Secretary Alex Neil recognises the burden of the NHS pressures that are falling on the shoulders of the workforce and looks to develop policies that support the workforce.”
