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<\/p>\nThe British Medical Association (BMA) has likened GPs to pandas in a \u201chysterical\u201d campaign warning that family doctors are facing extinction.<\/p>\n
The union described GPs as a \u201ccritically endangered\u201d species, claiming \u201cover-exploitation\u201d is driving many doctors to abandon roles that can pay up to \u00a3120,000 a year.<\/p>\n
According to the campaign, \u201cinvasive competition\u201d from other healthcare professionals, combined with \u201chabitat loss\u201d caused by crumbling surgery buildings and the \u201cpollution\u201d of bureaucracy, has pushed general practice to the brink.<\/p>\n
Patient groups accused the BMA of melodrama, arguing the comparison was out of touch with the daily reality faced by those trying to access appointments.<\/p>\n
One campaigner said GPs were less like pandas and more like \u201ctimid mice who scurry away whenever you try to book an appointment\u201d.<\/p>\n
The row comes after the Government announced that from April GP practices will be required to offer same-day consultations for patients with \u201curgent\u201d medical needs under a new NHS contract.<\/p>\n
BMA leaders reacted angrily to the announcement and confirmed they would ballot members on whether to accept the new terms, reports the Daily Mail. <\/p>\n
They warned that widespread opposition among doctors could trigger industrial action, adding to existing pressures across the health service.<\/p>\n
The giant panda had been removed from the World Wildlife Fund\u2019s critically endangered list and the BMA hopes GPs will follow suit<\/p>\n
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In a \u201cbitesize briefing\u201d circulated to members, the BMA said a shrinking number of full-time equivalent GPs were now responsible for a growing patient population.<\/p>\n
It also highlighted a collapse in the number of doctors willing to become GP partners, who own and manage practices and shoulder greater financial and administrative risk.<\/p>\n
\u201cGeneral practice is critically endangered, facing extinction,\u201d the briefing stated.<\/p>\n
It added: \u201cGovernment must bring it back from the brink. We can turn this round.\u201d<\/p>\n
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The BMA said a shrinking number of full-time equivalent GPs are now responsible for a growing patient population<\/p>\n
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GETTY<\/p>\n
Drawing a direct comparison with wildlife conservation, the document noted that the giant panda had been removed from the World Wildlife Fund\u2019s critically endangered list after successful breeding programmes.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need to secure partnerships and drive-up partner numbers as a priority to stabilise our profession in the same way,\u201d the BMA said.<\/p>\n
Insisting it was not exaggerating, the union claimed: \u201cThis campaign is not alarmist. It is precautionary. General practice remains the most cost-effective part of the NHS.\u201d<\/p>\n
The five-page leaflet warned that extinction can occur when a species \u201ccan no longer survive or be sustained in its environment\u201d.<\/p>\n
It said: \u201cIt can happen gradually, or it can happen suddenly.\u201d.<\/p>\n
Dennis Reed, director of the elderly campaign group Silver Voices, dismissed the language as \u201cover-egging the pudding and rather hysterical\u201d.<\/p>\n
He said: \u201cDrawing comparisons between GPs and pandas is bizarre..<\/p>\n
\u201cThe reality is that there are GPs out there, but patients struggle to find them because they are often a species in hiding.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey are more like timid mice that scurry away whenever you try to book an appointment.\u201d<\/p>\n
He revealed that elderly patients frequently report being pushed \u201cto the back of the queue\u201d because their complex conditions could not be dealt with quickly.<\/p>\n
Mr Reed said: \u201cThe government is quite right to insist patients with urgent medical needs are seen the same day, and the BMA will not endear itself to the public by opposing it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nearly half of adults delayed or avoided contacting their GP last year, according to polling by the Health Foundation, with many citing difficulties securing appointments.<\/p>\n
The new contract will also see practices paid millions in bonuses for prescribing weight-loss injections and boosting childhood vaccination rates.<\/p>\n
Health Secretary Wes Streeting said: \u201cThrough this government\u2019s investment and modernisation, we\u2019re fixing the front door to the NHS and giving practices the flexibility and funding to hire more GPs.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The British Medical Association (BMA) has likened GPs to pandas in a \u201chysterical\u201d campaign warning that family doctors…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":451459,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[2851,50,90,56,54,55,4407],"class_list":["post-451458","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wildlife","tag-animals","tag-news","tag-science","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom","tag-wildlife"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/451458","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=451458"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/451458\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/451459"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=451458"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=451458"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=451458"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}