Pressure to support students with difficulties

Navin Chohan editor, studentBMJ

The Joint Consultants Committee, a joint committee between the BMA and the medical royal colleges, is backing a campaign pushing for medical schools to allow students with disabilities or chronic illnesses the opportunity to study medicine.

At present British doctors with communicable diseases and some disabilities are allowed by General Medical Council guidelines to continue practising medicine, though they may have to move to disciplines where they do not present a risk to patients. However, the GMC also rules that students with chronic illnesses, disabilities, and some mental health problems are not allowed to start or continue undergraduate medical studies.

The BMA's medical students committee (MSC) has lent full support to the campaign, believing that the policy is discriminatory. The MSC thinks that is time for the GMC to change its "antiquated attitude," said the committee's chairperson, Jennie Ciechan.

James Johnson, chairman of the JCC, told BMA News that, after a debate on the subject, the committee thought that it was possible for affected students to complete undergraduate medical training and a preregistration year without endangering patients. "If a student can complete their house officer training, why should the medical schools and the GMC conspire to stop them?" Mr Johnson pointed out that both the GMC and universities could be exposing themselves to legal action over human rights violations unless they changed their positions.

The JCC hopes to meet senior officials, including Liam Donaldson, the chief medical officer for England, to discuss the matter.

The GMC, the medical profession's self regulatory body, issues rules on working practice for doctors and medical training in the UK. The JCC's decision to back this campaign represents a significant weight of opinion from senior doctors pressuring for change.

The career focus chronic illness matching scheme: web.bma.org.uk/public/chill.nsf supports medical students and doctors with chronic illnesses or disabilities.




studentBMJ 2001;09:443-486 December ISSN 0966-6494