Military doctor pay award likely to worsen recruitment and retention crisis, says BMA - 21 May 09

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The Armed Forces Pay Review Body has announced that military doctors and dentists will receive a 1.5% pay rise this year, significantly lower than the 2.8% awarded to other armed forces personnel. There are serious manpower problems in the Defence Medical Services. The BMA is concerned that the announcement will have an adverse effect on the recruitment and retention of armed forces doctors.

Dr Brendan McKeating, Chair of the BMA’s Armed Forces Committee said:

• “Armed forces doctors will be disappointed by this announcement. Military doctors typically earn less than their NHS counterparts. The BMA has been calling for doctors to be rewarded for their military service rather than penalised. The pay award does nothing to address this injustice.
• “Under manning is a serious problem in specialties that are critical to defence medicine. The Ministry of Defence’s own figures show that we need to double the number of psychiatrists and anaesthetists. There are also huge shortfalls in the number of doctors needed in emergency medicine and general surgery. These specialties are essential to the treatment of military personnel and this problem must be taken seriously.
• “The pay award is significantly lower than that received by other military personnel. Rather than encourage recruitment and retention it is likely to make it worse.
• “Our capacity to provide high quality care to our armed forces is under threat if the MOD does not take the retention of armed forces doctors seriously. We must ensure people who risk their lives for our country have access to high quality healthcare.”

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