A RECORD number of doctors have put themselves forward for upcoming BMA elections, reflecting a desire for increasing diversity in the profession.
BMA has said this is the most diverse election in history. A total of 220 doctors have come forward with their profiles and voting papers, out of which 42 of them are GPs and 38 per cent of the GP candidates are women, while around the same per cent of all doctors standing as candidates for election have self-identified as from ethnic minority backgrounds.
36 out of 42 GPs are standing for regional seats in England, three of them in Scotland, two in Wales and one in Northern Ireland.
In 2017, Dr Chaand Nagpaul became the first ethnic minority chair of the BMA and followed by London GP Dr Farah Jameel became the first woman chair of the GP committee of BMA for England in 2021. This was an inspiration for other candidates from ethnic minority backgrounds to come forward with their profiles for this year’s election.
Any BMA members can stand in the election if they belong to one of the constituencies and branches of practice listed by the Medical Association.
The ballot pack includes voting paper and candidates’ booklet. The order of counting and allocation of seats is done according to the Branch of Practise (BoP), Geography, and Ethnic Minority backgrounds.
Voting papers of the members were posted from 16 March 2022. The voting closes at 5 pm on 19 April 2022 and the results will be published on 25 April 2022. The election is being conducted using the Single Transferable Vote (STV- is a form of proportional representation where the candidates are being ranked. Each voter gets one vote which can transfer from the first preference to the second one).
The results will be published on the online election system and on the committee web page.
BMA (British Medical Association) is the professional body for doctors and medical students in the UK.
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