GMC, the regulatory body has announced that Professor Aneez Esmail, professor of general practice at the University of Manchester was appointed to lead the review in to MRCHP exam. He is one of the UK’s leading researchers into racism in the NHS.
His appointment is welcomed by British Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (BAPIO) and British International Doctors Association (BIDA). They have said, “said Professor Esmail is ‘absolutely the right man for the job’. However, they have warned that unless there are substantive changes to the exam, the judicial review will go ahead regardless of Professor Esmail’s findings.”
The President of BAPIO, Dr Ramesh Mehta, said: ‘This is a positive development and it would not have happened if we didn’t challenge the RCGP and GMC and decided to take legal action. However, he added: ‘We would certainly consider the outcome of the independent enquiry. But what we are looking for is a definitive change to the flawed system of assessment. Whatever the outcome of the independent review, if there is no change to the substantive exam, we will continue to proceed with legal action.’
Professor Esmail is a prominent GP researcher, with an interest in patient safety, the treatment of complaints and racism in the medical profession. He carried out a review of the handling of complaints and transparency in the GMC.
The report is due to be published in summer.