{"id":864,"date":"2021-07-06T08:40:01","date_gmt":"2021-07-06T07:40:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dauk.org\/omer-karim-case-nhs-ethnic-minority-staff-extremely-concerned-over-gmc-decision-to-appeal-tribunal-finding\/"},"modified":"2021-07-06T08:40:01","modified_gmt":"2021-07-06T07:40:01","slug":"omer-karim-case-nhs-ethnic-minority-staff-extremely-concerned-over-gmc-decision-to-appeal-tribunal-finding","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dauk.org\/omer-karim-case-nhs-ethnic-minority-staff-extremely-concerned-over-gmc-decision-to-appeal-tribunal-finding\/","title":{"rendered":"Omer Karim case: NHS ethnic minority staff \u2018extremely concerned\u2019 over GMC decision to appeal tribunal finding"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Groups representing thousands of doctors tell of their \u201cextreme concerns\u201d over a recent tribunal which found the regulator discriminated against a consultant urologist on the grounds of his race.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Groups representing thousands of ethnic minority NHS staff have written to the General Medical Council (GMC) about their \u201cextreme concerns\u201d over a recent tribunal which found the regulator discriminated against a consultant urologist on the grounds of his race.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Omer Karim, who worked at Wexham Park Hospital in Slough, Berkshire, had been a whistleblower in a case about surgeons performing operations without appropriate training. The surgeon \u2013 an internationally renowned urologist of mixed black African and European descent \u2013 said he was discriminated against during a GMC investigation, after the same charges against a white doctor were dismissed.\u00a0Mr Karim won the case but ended up living in a Travelodge after the \u00a3300,000 four-year race discrimination battle forced him to sell the family home to fund his case.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The group of doctors, representing medics from Pakistan, India and Africa among others, said the case was one of several similar incidents which served as a reminder \u201cof the terrible cost that the GMC\u2019s actions\u201d have had on NHS staff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis strengthens the widely held belief of biased assessment of doctors based on their ethnicity,\u201d they said. \u201cThese doctors and their families have felt the heavy handedness of the GMC without any apology or compensation for professional and personal costs to their lives and careers. Doctors are rightly asking why they are paying for their regulator to unjustly prosecute their colleagues?\u201d<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

The GMC has decided to appeal the decision. Following the tribunal\u2019s judgment Dame Clare Marx, chair of the GMC, said: \u201cWe know that many doctors feel discriminated against by the way in which referrals to the GMC are handled, and there remains much for us and others to do to change that. But accepting a flawed tribunal judgment will not help achieve the aims we and others share to tackle inequalities where they exist in disciplinary proceedings for healthcare professionals. We know and are sorry that this will prolong uncertainty and anxiety for all involved, and we will seek to resolve this as swiftly as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The doctors said they recognise that the GMC needs to protect patients and that a small number of doctors \u201csadly fall short of the standard\u201d. However, they said doctors of ethnic minorities lack confidence in how they will be judged, and that \u201cprevious cases have clearly shown the cards are stacked against them\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The group said: \u201cThis is now a toxic brand that plagues the GMC \u2013 it is contributing to poor morale and adversely affecting the mental health of our colleagues. We urge the GMC to reconsider its decision to appeal against the Tribunal\u2019s decision, this would go a long way for the GMC to establish trust with all doctor.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A GMC spokesperson said: \u201cWe recognise that there is genuine concern about the way in which doctors from ethnic minorities are referred to the GMC and how those referrals are handled. We are working hard with health leaders to eradicate inequalities where they exist and remain absolutely focused on our work to target inequalities and promote equality, diversity and inclusion \u2013 both in our own processes, and across the UK health system.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read the full article here.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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