Doctors’ union ‘standing up for NHS’ offers private healthcare perk

THE medical union behind today’s strike offers private health cover to all its staff.

The employment perk casts doubt over the British Medical Association’s claim to stand up for the Health Service.

Junior doctors have repeatedly accused the Government of using the row over contracts to try to privatise the NHS by the back door.

Yet the British Medical Association offers its 600 paid staff the right to sacrifice part of their salary for private health cover, a benefit which reduces their tax bill.

Kambiz Boomla, a London GP and former BMA local committee chairman, said the policy was mistaken. ‘It doesn’t make sense to be sending out any messages that suggest that in some way the BMA feels private health insurance is necessary or desirable,’ he added.

‘This policy is wrong and should be stopped.’

The BMA last night insisted that private healthcare was optional, and paid for by individual members. She refused to say how many staff members took advantage of the scheme – and insisted the offer did not contradict the BMA’s fight to defend free access to the NHS.

Running a salary sacrifice scheme benefits employers because it reduces national insurance contributions. It also benefits staff, reducing the sum of tax and national insurance paid by employees, because the payment is deducted before tax is calculated.

Mark Porter, who chairs the BMA, last week launched a highly-critical report of private healthcare and called for greater scrutiny of the industry.

‘There has never been fair competition between NHS and independent sector providers, the game has been rigged from the start,’ he said. ‘All too often [government officials] fall for the mantra that private is automatically, inherently better.’