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UK doctors urge health secretary over pension disputeâ€Žto

28 June 2012 19:25 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. The British Medical Association (BMA) has called for the Health Secretary Andrew Lansley to step down over the doctors’ pension dispute, saying it has "no confidence" in him, APA reports quoting Press TV.

Delegates at the BMAâ€™s annual meeting in Bournemouth accused Lansley of "breaching doctors’ trust" by tearing up the pension deal agreed four years ago.

Doctors overwhelmingly agreed on a motion calling for Lansley’s resignation over the Coalition governmentâ€™s proposed changes to their pension schemes, with 158 delegates voting in favor and 124 against the proposal.

Dr. Gary Marlowe, who presented the motion, accused Lansley of misleading doctors and the public during the election over his plans for the Health and Social Care Act, which became law in March.

"During the election, there was no mention of a specific direction and/or any detail of the NHS reforms. By all accounts Mr. Lansley has a long and detailed knowledge of the NHS and has been working on his plans throughout opposition. It is clear that during the election he mislead the public and the profession," Marlowe said.

In addition, Labour’s shadow health secretary Andy Burnham said, "This vote is a crushing personal defeat for a Health Secretary who promised to listen to doctors, and centred his whole policy on them."

Dr. Peter Holden, a GP from Derbyshire, added, "Resignation is too good for Lansley, Cameron should sack him."

Meanwhile, according to a report published today on June 28, by NHS watchdog the Care Quality Commission (CQC), nearly a quarter of Britain’s NHS and social care services are not meeting essential standards of quality and safety.

The CQCâ€™s inspections of 14,000 sites concerning the performance and risk in all health and social care providers in England, found staff shortages and poor medicine management, and particular failings in maternity care in the locations.

Earlier this month, tens of thousands of British doctors staged their first industrial action in nearly 40 years in a row over pensions that will target all non-urgent patient care.

The members of the 104,000-strong BMA voted by a 79-percent majority to go on strike back in May after the government tabled proposal that cut their Â£1 million pension pots, require them to work until 68 before retirement and pay more in annual pension contribution to earn pensions worth Â£68,000 a year.