'This is not what I signed up for'

  Anger, betrayal, and a drain of talent overseas — that’s what an imposed contract would mean for the junior doctors taking a third period of industrial action. Doctors in Southampton said they were strongly committed to the NHS and its values, but those values were being put under severe threat by the Government’s plans. Portsmouth specialty trainee 1 in radiology Mohamed Ismail said he chose to train in the NHS because he loves its ethos. As an Irish national, who studied medicine in Sudan (where his family is from), he applied to England to get training that he believed would be excellent, in a system whose values he admired. Although he said he loves his job, his international experience and family ties means that he, more than most, knows that the world is his oyster — and, frankly, the threat of the new contract means a career in England looks less attractive than it once did. ‘I’m very happy with radiology; it’s a great specialty, means a good work/life balance, and is growing and developing all the time,’ he says. ‘I’d be very reluctant to give up my job, but I could apply to transfer to Scotland or Wales, where the contract will not be imposed, or back to Ireland, or even to somewhere like Australia.’ For Dr Ismail, like so many of his colleagues, these thoughts are – so far – ‘what ifs’. What he really wants to do is stay in England and continue training and contributing...
Source: BMA News - Category: UK Health Source Type: news