Latest news with #HippocraticOath
The Hindu
2 days ago
- Health
- The Hindu
190 students awarded degrees at PIMS convocation
A total of 147 undergraduate and 43 postgraduate students received degrees at the graduation day ceremony of the Pondicherry Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) held recently. A press note said the ceremony was held for undergraduate medical (2019 batch), and postgraduate MD/MS students (2021 batch). The chief guest, P. Prakash Babu, Vice-Chancellor of Pondicherry University, distributed the certificates. Mr. Babu urged the students to serve the community with passion, and stressed the role of Artificial Intelligence in healthcare. Sujith S. received gold medal for the best outgoing student, and Sarah Catherine F. and Ragapriya S. for best all-rounder and best sportsperson respectively. The PIMS STS awards for research were presented to 13 UG students. Earlier, K. Jacob, Chairman, PIMS management committee, initiated proceedings. The Hippocratic Oath was administered to the UG students by Peter Manoharan C., Medical Superintendent. Report presented Renu G'Boy Varghese, Director-Principal, presented the annual report, highlighting the achievements in academia, research, and extra-curricular activities. Nishanth Rajan, Vice Principal (UG); P. Stalin, Vice Principal (PG and Research); Sujatha MP, Deputy Vice Principal (UG); Aparna Muraleedharan, Deputy Vice Principal (PG and Research); Nayyar lqbal, Medical Education Unit (MEU) coordinator; Sivaa R., deputy MEU coordinator, and George Thomas, General Manager, took part. The event was attended by administrators, faculty, staff, students, and parents.
Telegraph
3 days ago
- Health
- Telegraph
How the BMA became a vessel for Middle East politics
There is slightly more to the Hippocratic Oath than many non-medical professionals realise. The full text contains all the well-known bits – do no harm, don't administer poison, maintain the confidentiality of your patients – but over the course of more than 300 words, there are also pledges about pessaries, kidney stones and dietary regimes. It is a broad, ancient expression of ethics for an industry that has to adapt and modernise all the time. The role of a medical professional, of course, touches on almost all aspects of life, so recent renderings of the oath might tinker with the translation a bit. Yet, what no version touches on, so far as we can tell, is anything to do with solving the conflict in the Middle East, a call to political activism, or prolonged discussions about Zionism. Attendees at the annual conference of the British Medical Association (BMA), the doctors' trade union, could have been forgiven for thinking otherwise this week. Meeting in Liverpool for three days to establish policies and priorities for the industry in the coming year – of which, given the state of the NHS, there would have been lots to discuss – members instead found that 43 motions, around 10 per cent of the total, related to Israel, Gaza, Palestine, anti-Semitism or Zionism. One claimed that Israel is establishing a 'system of apartheid', another called for a boycott of Israeli medical institutions and universities. A third called on the BMA to support doctors who refuse to pay taxes because the UK is 'complicit in genocide'. The slew of motions prompted the Jewish Medical Association (JMA) to warn that Jewish members attending the conference felt 'intimidated, unsafe and excluded'. Speaking anonymously for fear of reprisals, several other BMA members The Telegraph has spoken to were, at best, perplexed and exasperated so much attention was being paid to global politics ahead of matters relating to British medicine. Others saw it as typical of a union they view as 'institutionally anti-Semitic ', and now 'overtaken by Left-wing entryists'. 'It was a disappointing conference in lots of ways, especially in relation to how much time was given to talking about Gaza,' says one doctor and longstanding BMA member, after returning from Liverpool. 'There are so many other conflicts around the world where doctors and healthcare professionals are involved, so it seems a shame we didn't think about them as well. 'Also, because it was spoken about at such length, it stopped us getting on with some of the work I hoped we might have done as a trade union. And then there's the question of how welcome our Jewish colleagues might have felt, when there's so much emphasis given to a subject like that.' The answer to that final question can be given by Prof David Katz, professor of immunopathology at University College London, and executive chairman of the JMA, who also attended. 'In Liverpool, there was a hostility in the atmosphere,' Prof Katz says. 'How could it be otherwise with these motions? [With] the depth of venom that has been allowed to evolve?' Established in 1832, the BMA represents some 190,000 doctors and medical students across the UK, and lists its mission simply: 'We look after doctors so they can look after you'. Over its long history, it has occasionally taken stances on overseas conflicts, usually advocating for the safety of healthcare workers. Given the Israeli attacks on hospitals in Gaza, plus the reels of social media footage taken from inside those institutions, often by doctors, the conflict there is an understandably distressing one for BMA members – and has included acts the union would be expected to condemn. Critics, though, believe its interest is now neither balanced nor proportionate. 'When it [the union] used to stray into international issues, it did so with an equal hand,' says one retired GP, who was a BMA member for 45 years. '[But] it doesn't involve itself much now in Ukraine, or Sudan, or with the Uyghurs, or any other oppressed minority. It doesn't comment on US aid cuts. No, it is absolutely obsessed with the Palestinian cause.' It is, he alleges, a situation that has developed 'rapidly in the last four or five years, when the junior doctors committee [now known as the resident doctors committee] started to become very radical, and those making policy were very Left-wing. This was roughly at the end of the Corbyn years, when that sort of politics was becoming very mainstream.' Though it's often characterised as 'student politics' largely conducted online, the retired GP stresses that 'many of the very Left-wing older members are fully signed-up as well'. Just last week, the BMA was accused of a 'cover-up' when it dropped an investigation into its president, the highly experienced GP Dr Mary McCarthy, for social media posts about the Middle East conflict. Having initially decided there was a case for McCarthy to answer, after an independent review into a complaint by Labour Against Antisemitism, the BMA decided not to take it further because the issue had not been raised by a member or employee of the union. She is one of several BMA leaders who have had their online posts scrutinised. In 2023, Dr Martin Whyte, a paediatrician and then deputy co-chair of the BMA's junior doctors' committee, was suspended after joking online about 'gas[sing] the Jews', the 'holohoax', and writing that people should boycott Israel 'out of spite'. One London-based consultant – who was a BMA member until a year ago, when he was one of several doctors to resign his membership after the union published a controversial open letter to the Foreign Secretary urging the Government to call for an 'immediate ceasefire' in Gaza – claims the union is now practically run by its far-Left members. 'I was very fond of the BMA. My father was a doctor, his obituary was published in the British Medical Journal [owned by the BMA], but it seems to have been hijacked in the last few years. It's probably been under the surface for a long time, but they seem to prioritise things that aren't health-related.' he says. 'I would consider myself left-of-centre, but I don't really have a home in the BMA any more, and I think a lot of Jewish doctors feel that. The whole situation in the Middle East is tragic, I have every sympathy with Palestinians, as I do with the victims of October 7. But it's far from the only conflict going on in the world where innocent people are being killed, yet the BMA seems to have an obsession with the Palestinian issue, such that they are alienating a lot of Jewish doctors. They will end up having an organisation with very few Jewish doctors. And maybe some people in the BMA want that, I don't know. 'I can't really say exactly why they're so focused on Israel and Gaza, but it's a bit like the way that Jeremy Corbyn's Labour Party was. They just don't seem to have a neutral approach to it, which I find very sad, and it does smack of anti-Semitism, the way they seem to be quite obsessed with this particular issue. The fact is: the huge number of motions at the BMA conference [to do with Israel] means Jewish doctors don't feel that safe in the BMA. I'm talking to you anonymously, and I'm not even a member any more. It's just not a safe or friendly environment for Jewish doctors.' As it is, many Jewish members of the BMA are now resigning in protest. One letter, shared with The Telegraph, accuses the union of being 'institutionally anti-Semitic [and] unable to represent me fairly or safely' any more. 'As an adult and a professional, I expect to be represented by an organisation that engenders respect, and represents me with professionalism and gravitas in keeping with the serious responsibilities and obligations we as doctors have to our patients, our colleagues and the wider community,' the doctor writes. 'Being represented by a group of irresponsible militants playing dog whistle student politics, indulging in rank and toxic racism (in the form of Jew hatred) and infusing this old and venerable institution with both, is not something I am prepared to be associated with.' The BMA points out that one of the motions put forward in Liverpool this week specifically called for support for Jewish people, and was proposed by a Jewish medical student, who urged that members 'differentiate between pro-Palestinianism and anti-Semitism'. That said, quite how the BMA came to have its annual conference so dominated by geopolitics and activism – as one member put it, 'in the same week that Nato is meeting, has the BMA picked up the wrong agenda?' – is a question many members might recall asking last year, too. It was reported in 2024 that one in 10 motions put forward for the Belfast-hosted event had to be removed from debates on legal grounds because they related to the Israel and Palestine conflict, and 'risked being perceived as discriminatory, more specifically, anti-Semitic'. At the time, Prof Katz wrote to the BMA to say JMA members 'are deeply concerned that the meeting environment could become itself a vehicle for discrimination and Jew hatred.' A year on, members attending the BMA conference were met with not only another agenda with a heavy emphasis on the situation in the Middle East, but a protest staged by the activist group Health Workers 4 Palestine outside the venue in Liverpool. The demonstration featured 'old shoes' representing healthcare workers killed in Gaza – a visual statement synonymous with the shoes of Jewish people killed at concentration camps during the Holocaust, and considered anti-Semitic by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance. Inside, often hostile debates raged. Prof Katz, in attendance as ever, strode around attending as many as he could. A well-known figure at BMA conferences, he has never been shy to speak out about anti-Semitism in his profession, regardless of the crowd. One day this week, he says, he was having a quiet coffee when suddenly he had company. Sikh, Hindu and Christian colleagues in turn took seats next to him. 'We just wanted to make sure you didn't feel on your own here,' they told him. 'Under such circumstances,' Prof Katz says, 'small gestures count.' A BMA spokesperson said: 'We are totally clear that anti-Semitism is completely unacceptable. There is no place for it in the BMA, NHS, or wider society and we condemn anti-Semitism in the strongest possible terms, as we do with all discrimination based on race, religion, sexuality, gender or disability. 'The BMA's annual representative meeting is an inclusive space, where wellbeing of members and staff is our priority and we've put in place a number of measures and sources of support to ensure this. We are also confident that we are complying with all of our obligations under the Equality Act and our own EDI policies. 'The BMA has a long and proud history of advocating for human rights and access to healthcare around the world, and motions submitted to this year's conference by grassroots members from across the UK reflect the grave concerns doctors in the UK have about the Gaza conflict and the impact on civilians and healthcare. Resolutions passed at the conference made clear calls around the principles of medical neutrality and the need to respect international humanitarian law that are applicable to all conflicts. 'Motions were also submitted on the crises in Ukraine, Yemen, and Sudan, all of which the BMA has spoken out about and taken action on in recent years.'
Scotsman
5 days ago
- Health
- Scotsman
Readers' letters: Assisted dying is too important to be left to politicians
Readers call for a referendum to decide if assisted dying should be implemented Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Like other Scots exiled south ot the Border I will, it seems, soon be able to choose to die. Of course I understand the feelings of those supporters of the bill. Many, or most, of them have had to witness the horrific death of loved ones and would not want to see this experience repeated. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad My fear is that, despite the many sincere and well meaning safeguards that will undoubtably be put in place, the passage of time will see those safeguards eroded or relaxed. Who amongst the supporters of the bill can guarantee that future generations will want the 'choice' not to be entirely that of the patient? Supporters of assisted dying celebrate after MPs voted in favour of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill last week (Picture:) Little has been heard of the Hippocratic Oath in this debate. I understand that the oath has been subject to a number of interpretations but I suspect Hippocrates would flinch at the prospect of his successors offering patients a pill that will kill them. This is too important an issue to be left to parliamentarians and a referendum is the only and clearest way for Scotland to take stock. John Rhind, Beadnell, Northumberland Peer pressure After that favourable Commons' vote on assisted dying is it really now down to the unelected upper house to declare its opinion about what the people need, seemingly regardless of what the people actually want? Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Isn't assisted dying legislation a classic case of a law that should be decided instead by the people as a whole through an informed national referendum? Too often we the people have been obliged to obey laws without our say so. Blair obliged us to invade Iraq; Major took us from the Common Market into the European Union; Cameron obliged us to invade Libya, (but to his eternal credit did permit us to decide if we wished to stay in the EU). We were all on Thatcher's side when she ordered the recapture of the Falkland Islands, but I doubt that'll be so if the Lords deliberately procrastinate to ensure the bill fails because it has run out of time. I agree that what has been passed has several faults which the Lords could sort out. Eight years ago I was given a terminal diagnosis for melanoma cancer. I put my affairs in order and awaited the end, only for a doctor to put me on to an experimental drug called Pembrulizumab which set in motion a successful immunotherapy, and so here I am still at 88. I mention that as I would make assisted dying available, at first anyway, only to mentally competent persons over 80 years of age because before then the possibility of 'miracle' cures exists, as I now have proven. An informed referendum, please, on an improved bill. Tim Flinn, Edinburgh Rogue states For a man who managed to give money to Gaza that was given to Holyrood to be spent on the Scottish people, Humza Yousaf is certainly persistent. He now wishes to extend his personal interest in the politics of the Middle East into domestic politics by denying US aircraft the use of airports in Scotland. This is in line with his party's similar policy of wanting to deny Nato vessels carrying nuclear weapons to come here, despite being part of our defence shield. Mind you, the SNP is loudly against defending ourselves. Mr Yousaf's latest outburst echoes his comments that Israel is a 'rogue state'. Like all nations, Israel has its fair share of black marks on its copybook. Consider the mass killing in the King David Hotel bombing by Jewish terrorists in 1946. Israel is quite open when it uses force. Following the recent terrorist outrage in Kashmir, India struck back against the people they blame for it, namely Pakistan. The world is too full of such attacks on 'soft' targets and nations are entitled to respond against those they see as the puppet-masters behind such attacks. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Who can blame Israel when Iranian proxies massacred their citizens at a music festival and hold others hostage? We all know that Iran's uranium enrichment has only one purpose, which is to make a nuclear bomb to drop on Israel and wipe it off the map. Does Mr Yousaf really expect Israelis, or anyone else to just sit and let them do it? There is only one 'rogue state' I can see and that is Iran. Peter Hopkins, Edinburgh Day jobs Why are John Swinney and indeed Humza Yousaf pontificating about the situation in Iran (Scotsman, June 23)? Foreign affairs are wholly retained by Westminster and, as per the Scotland Act, are explicitly outwith the jurisdiction of Holyrood. Yousaf is yesterday's man, and few care what he thinks, but Swinney, like it or not, heads up a devolved administration. The taxpayer employs MPs at Westminster to address international affairs while we pay Swinney and Yousaf to focus on such crucially important areas as the NHS, education, housing and roads. But perhaps this is simply too dreary for them? SNP politicians seemingly imagine that speaking out on international conflicts bigs them up in our eyes, yet the opposite is very much the case. It draws attention to their dismal performance in managing a vitally important raft of public services that the people of Scotland rely on each and every day. Martin Redfern, Melrose, Scottish Borders International law Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Gerald Edwards' support for Israel is ludicrous, as is his support for Trump's bombing of Iran (Letters, June 23). When Israel attacked Iran without warning it breached international law. A state is only permitted to attack another state if it presents an imminent danger. Netanyahu claimed that Israel was about to manufacture a nuclear weapon. Tulsi Gabbard, the US Director of National Intelligence, refuted that. Trump's bombing of Iran also broke international law, and also broke the constitution of the United States because it was an act of war. The US President can only declare war if Congress approves it. Congress can only approve war against a country if that country poses an immediate and grave military threat. Iran posed no threat to the United States. By breaking the constitution, Trump lays himself open to impeachment. Israel assassinated a number of Iranian nuclear scientists including the lead negotiator in the talks to discuss Iran's nuclear programme which were scheduled to take place on the Sunday after Israel attacked in what was described as a 'Pearl Harbour moment' for Iran, without declaration of war, and therefore a war crime. Like many, I believed Donald Trump's pre-election claims that he would end America's endless wars. Sadly I was wrong. As American military analyst Colonel Douglas Macgregor said commenting after the bombing of Iran: 'We are the rogue state in support of the other rogue state.' William Loneskie. Lauder, Scottish Borders No sense of shame Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad So Douglas Alexander, MP for Lothian East – who was complicit as a cabinet minister in the UK Government in taking the UK into an illegal war in Iraq and is now complicit in supporting a fanatical Israeli government regime accused of genocide in Gaza and engaged in bombing Syria, Yemen and Iran – proclaims that Scotland is in a 'voluntary union' but yet he cannot state (as evidenced on BBC Scotland's Sunday Show) a democratic route for Scotland to leave this union. It appears not only that Mr Alexander and the Labour Party have abandoned any remaining principles but they unapologetically have no sense of shame, having apparently learned little from past mistakes and resultant catastrophes. We can do better and the parliament we elect should have the power to conduct a constitutional referendum so that we in Scotland can determine our own future, including our own non-imperialist foreign policy. Stan Grodynski, Longniddry, East Lothian Gael force I am delighted that the national importance of Gaelic has been recognised, unanimously, by the Scottish Parliament. Gaelic is more than a language, it is part of the cultural identity of our nation. It is heritage and history, vital to the story of Scotland's sovereignty and indeed predates English by well over 1000 years. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad For those detractors that say it is a dead and useless language and a financial drain, I say shame on you. Through centuries of oppression and abuse Gaelic has survived and now with music and the arts and a longing for independence, there is a resurgence. Only in knowing the history of your country, can there ever be confidence in its future destiny. Wrapped around its ancient Celtic identity, Scotland remains a reawakening nation that has, in the past, given much to the world. Grant Frazer, Newtonmore, Highland Matter of principal I'm a proud son of Edinburgh and as a graduate (MA, 1966) of the Tounis College, I keep a strong interest in developments there. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad However, news can take time to reach London, where I am now based; and so I have only just seen an account of the Principal and Vice-Chancellor's appearance earlier this month in front of of the Education Committee of the Scottish Parliament. For Sir Peter Mathieson to say 'I do not carry the figure about in my head' when asked about his salary doesn't just beggar belief, it smacks of arrogance and disrespect. It's also worrying that, faced with a financial crisis in the university, its head seems not to be able to remember basic numbers. The principal has lost credibility and, I would suggest, any respect. He should at least try to preserve some fragment of his reputation, do the decent (and right) thing by the University of Edinburgh and resign. Sir James HodgeLondon Write to The Scotsman
Ya Biladi
18-06-2025
- Health
- Ya Biladi
«It's not a war, it's a genocide» : Moroccan doctor returns from Gaza with harrowing testimony
Dr. Abdelkbir Hassini, an anesthesiologist and resuscitation specialist at Hassan II Provincial Hospital in Khouribga (from 1990 to 2016), has devoted nearly thirty-five years to cases requiring his expertise. True to the spirit of the Hippocratic Oath, he took part in an international humanitarian mission in the Gaza Strip from May 29 to June 12, 2025, supporting Palestinian medical staff on the ground. Through the Beverly Hills–based Rahma NGO, and as a member of the Moroccan coordination of Doctors for Palestine, Dr. Hassini spent fifteen days in Khan Younis alongside specialists from Australia, Germany, the UK, and the United States. «With the World Health Organization (WHO), this organization is one of the few currently capable of organizing international humanitarian missions in the Gaza Strip. Despite restrictions on supplies, we were able to bring some medical provisions, equipment, and vital components for our operations. Quantities had to be limited to avoid potential seizures, but we managed to bring in a few batches», Dr. Hassini explains. Having just returned to Morocco, Dr. Hassini, currently working in the private sector, has already resumed his duties, carrying the heavy weight of an intense mission amid the total siege of Gaza. Between anesthesia and resuscitation interventions, he shared with Yabiladi the devastating effects of nearly three years of Israeli military offensives in the region, where «the medical infrastructure is practically out of service». «My assignment reflects a situation words cannot fully capture. Initially, I was supposed to join Nasser Hospital, Gaza's largest remaining referral hospital. But due to the lack of resources on site to carry out medical procedures in our specialties, we were reassigned to Al Amal Hospital. The entire hospital infrastructure in northern Gaza is now unable to accommodate and care for the wounded needing resuscitation, including the European Hospital in Khan Younis», he says. An «exemplary» organization amid a «catastrophic situation» On the ground, «the situation is catastrophic», and even Al Amal Hospital is at risk of being shut down, especially as the ceasefire no longer holds despite numerous UN warnings to Israel. During Dr. Hassini's mission, the WHO also warned that Gaza's health system was collapsing. «There are no longer any operational hospitals in northern Gaza. Nasser and Al Amal are the last two functioning public hospitals in Khan Younis, where most of the population now lives. Without these facilities, essential health services can no longer be provided», the organization cautioned. Speaking to Yabiladi, Dr. Hassini recounted his experience in real time: «Nearly three days into our mission, the director of Al Amal Hospital informed us that the facility was in what the occupation calls an 'evacuation zone,' putting patients and staff at risk. After some hesitation, our NGO reassured us, and we continued operating on site». The permanent medical team and volunteer humanitarians were vital, as the hospital handles all severe injuries that cannot be treated elsewhere. «Severe injuries number in the dozens daily, all received by a single facility with fully mobilized healthcare staff and resuscitation beds at capacity», says Dr. Hassini. «We were able to provide necessary care to patients, especially thanks to the complementary expertise among specialists on site and the diverse mission team I was part of emergency doctors, anesthesiologists, trauma surgeons, and ophthalmologists. We organized a care circuit covering first aid, intensive care, and complex surgeries requiring large quantities of blood. In this regard, I must commend the high skill level of the Palestinian medical staff, who work under these conditions every day in an exemplary way». Describing the conditions, the doctor paints a picture of «inhumane and unimaginable situations, daily killings, and extreme cruelty that even the images from Gaza don't fully show». Among the cases that stayed with him, he recounts one that «illustrates the complex and multifaceted suffering of a single individual and family among the civilian population». «It was a young man who came to Al Amal Hospital carrying his severely injured daughter. The child needed immediate anesthesia and surgery. The father told us that his wife had been maimed in the same attack, and their son had been hit in the face. This reveals that beyond the many patients we see, there's an invisible face of cruelty, transfers impossible outside Gaza, uncounted dead, dismembered bodies, and injured people that families tally every day», he laments. Unjustifiable silence Amid this emergency response, Dr. Hassini praises «the organizational capacity of Palestinian colleagues, who manage to sustain stocks of supplies and medical equipment despite the health system being targeted by the occupation. This allowed us to provide the injured and patients with the necessary blood, pharmaceuticals, and pre-operative care». «When faced with such situations, it is our faith in life that prevails and motivates us as medical professionals. We have no choice but to treat all patients. The Palestinian population's attachment to life constantly reminded us of this, it is one of the greatest lessons from these missions. The citizens of Gaza count their dead and injured every day, yet their hope for a better tomorrow after all this genocide remains intact, and their morale grows stronger». In this context, Dr. Hassini insists, «It must be said: this is no longer a war, it is genocide». «I share the dismay and astonishment of my fellow humanitarian mission members», he adds. He also expresses his «total incomprehension at the unjustifiable silence of the international community, witnessing so much terror and unable to stop the massacre». Under such circumstances, the doctor reflects, «One returns deeply marked by what is happening on the ground, but also strengthened by the mental fortitude that is a tool of resistance for the Palestinian people, a force that makes us question our own everyday challenges and concerns».
The Guardian
13-06-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
Resident doctors have good reason to strike over pay
I write in response to the letter from senior clinicians urging resident doctors to vote against strike action (8 June). During my 22-year career we have seen fundamental changes in medical training, including the introduction of tuition fees for medical school, loss of free accommodation for first-year doctors, the lack of expansion in training numbers, and pay erosion over 15 years. This has left many resident doctors with crippling debt on graduation, spiralling costs of training, deteriorating pay, and the prospect of unemployment. I, and the authors of the letter, were fortunate enough not to face such hardships during training. Hence I urge colleagues not to influence the negotiations between the British Medical Association (BMA) and the government regarding resident doctors' pay. A mandate for strike action is a strong negotiating position, and I for one welcome productive discussions between the government and the BMA to reach a fair settlement. If senior clinicians cannot be supportive of our resident doctors, I suggest that they sit on their hands (with regard to writing letters) and bite their Ajay M VermaKettering, Northamptonshire A group of medical professionals write urging resident doctor colleagues to vote against proposed strike action. They cite the Hippocratic oath. They appear to overlook the daily flouting of the oath by colleagues who are active in the systems of American‑accountable care that have replaced a National Health Service in England. In these, 'first do no harm' appears to have been replaced by 'first protect the bottom line'. The unrest among health workers is not merely about pay; it is about the degradation of an entire public service and its subservience to corporate interests, many of them American. Let's have impassioned letters urging the expulsion of Palantir and co and a return to the principles of Bevan rather than BlackRock. It is untrue to say 'there is no spare money'. The money simply goes into the wrong Donovan Birkenhead, Merseyside The six senior doctors who wrote to you are key among those responsible for allowing the NHS to become such an unpleasant work environment for training doctors. As Wes Streeting so eloquently pointed out, the NHS treats training doctors 'like crap'. A lot could be done to improve the working lives of doctors – simply telling them not to strike is unhelpful and suggests indifference to the challenges they face. Declared interest: parent of two resident EvansMonmouth I am a former NHS GP now living and working in Canada. I read with interest that senior doctors recommend junior doctors don't strike. Would these be senior doctors who had their university education paid for by the state, then had their hospital accommodation paid for by the state, and then enjoyed a fixed benefit pension that kicked in at age 60 (for most of their careers)? Society looked after them well. Could it be possible that today's resident doctors have a different point of view for a reason? I suppose the other thing to say is that fixing morale in the NHS and deciding where society spends its money is outside the remit of the doctor. But fixing the NHS is the government's prerogative. Tom NewthNelson, British Columbia, Canada Have an opinion on anything you've read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
