Are UK GPs going extinct? BMA makes shocking Panda comparison

The British Medical Association (BMA) has released a bizarre press briefing declaring the General Practitioners (GPs) in the United Kingdom (U.K.) as a “critically endangered species.”

The BMA claimed that overwork is causing many GPs, who earn over £120,000 a year, to leave their jobs. It added, “Fewer doctors now want to become GP partners because a smaller number of doctors are responsible for a greater number of patients.”

The association also slammed the government’s new National Health Service (NHS) contract terms, which directed GPs to provide same-day consultations to the patients with urgent medical needs from April this year.

The BMA urged family doctors to act like Pandas to avoid extinction.

Patient groups have slammed BMA for overreacting, stating, “People think of GPs as timid mice who scurry away whenever you try to book an appointment.”

In a bizarre anecdote, BMA urged the government to act, secure partnerships and drive-up partner numbers to stabilize the profession, noting that Giant Panda were removed from the WWF’s critically endangered species list because of successful reproduction programmes.

The five-page brief said the extinction can occur gradually or suddenly depending on the conditions, adding that it occurs when the environment around the species becomes increasingly hostile.

Dennis Reed, director of the elderly patients group Silver Voices, praised the new NHS contract terms, saying, “It’s absolutely necessary that patients with urgent medical needs are seen the same day.”