Editor—Linda Beecham's summary of my inaugural speech as president of the BMA (13 July, p 66) is efficient and fair.1 It does, however, contain one minor but important misrepresentation.
I did not describe a third of NHS care as “similar to medicine in the third world.” My precise and carefully chosen words were: “Looking at the lowest third of NHS performance, we are, in terms of availability, verging on third world medicine, in what is one of the most affluent countries in the world.” The key words were “availability” and “verging.” I also said, “broadly, two thirds of NHS medicine is very good, or reasonably good,” and my major concern was for the very many patients who cannot get access to that care without lengthy and (to me) unacceptable delays.
The separate issue of whether a president of the BMA should express such personal concerns is, I accept, a valid matter for debate.
References
- 1.Beecham L. New BMA president compares a third of NHS care to care in the developing world. BMJ. 2002;325:66. doi: 10.1136/bmj.325.7355.66. . (13 July.) [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]