Speech from the Chairman of the Armed Forces Committee
Dr John Ferguson
Tuesday 29 June 2004
The BMA has long had an interest in the state of the Defence Medical Services. After all we were instrumental in the setting up of the DMS over 100 years ago.
You all know that the DMS is chronically short of trained medical officers, both consultants and GPs. The House of Commons Defence Select Committee concluded that "the parlous state of the DMS is inhibiting Britain's foreign policy".
More is being expected from Britain's Armed Forces now than ever before. To maintain our presence in Iraq 25% of our troops now are Reservists. The differences between Regulars and Reservists are being blurred to produce one fighting force.
The Government is the main employer of doctors in Britain. So long as we remain short of doctors in the NHS, then the Department of Health is unlikely to allow the MoD to attract more doctors into the Defence Medical Services.
Yet only this week we hear of proposals to downsize our Regular Forces because of the financial state of the MoD.
The Junior Members Forum has withdrawn their motion in this section as it has been overtaken by events. The Chairman of Council has received a written assurance from the General Surgeon of their commitment to the future of the Royal Centre of Defence Medicine in Birmingham.
Two years ago Dr Lewis Mooney, when Minister of Defence with special responsibility for the Defence Medical Services, appointed a non-medical manager to improve the Service. I would like to publicly pay tribute to what Lt General Kevin O'Donaghue has achieved so far, but sadly for us, he is being promoted and moving on soon. We are committed to working together with his successor to produce firm evidence on the effects of the new contracts in the NHS to the AFPRB next year.
Chairman, I move.