Medical Defence Shield: A unique initiative
What is MDS
Medical Defence Shield (MDS) is a unique initiative that was developed by the British Association of Physicians of Indian Origin. MDS is a not for profit organisation that is a part of BAPIO Ltd, a Company Limited by guarantee registered with the Companies House.
Historical context
Historically, the international medical graduates (IMGs) have been the back bone of the NHS since its inception. Current estimates suggest that almost one-third of doctors practising in the NHS are from overseas and that the vast majority of these doctors are from the Indian subcontinent.
NHS is one of the largest employer and service provider in Europe. Since the introduction of the race relations legislation in 1965, there have been a number of initiatives by various governments to ensure the statutory bodies such as NHS actively implement good practices to eradicate racial discrimination and promote equality of opportunities in the workplace. BAPIO senior members were inundated with requests for advice and support from many IMGs who were not comfortable with the responses from the existing trade union and defence bodies. BAPIO, in response decided to take a bold initiative to create MDS.
The concept
The services provided by MDS is a comprehensive plan, tailored to cover both areas where medical and dental professionals frequently need advice and representation, in issues related to “Employment” and in the defence before regulatory bodies (“GMC/GDC Matters”).
Traditionally, the support in these two areas has come from two different types of bodies, the support in Employment matters has been provided by trade unions and support in GMC/GDC matters has been provided by defence organisations The division is artificial and has frequently caused problems.
MDS Is Unique
MDS is unique in providing members with the option of having support in both areas under the same umbrella. MDS takes a holistic view of the problem, provides you with comprehensive support and secures the required expertise to ensure the best professional outcome for you. As an MDS member, you can rest assured that if you find yourself in professional difficulty, one phone number is all you need – MDS membership gives you peace of mind by providing you with professional support, without compromise.
Phone: 0300 30 32 442
For membership enquiries please email: membership@mdsuk.org
For general enquiries please email: office@mdsuk.org .
www.mdsuk.org