- Dr Latifa Patel said she had been disrespected and subjected to “bad behaviour”.
The doctors’ union is embroiled in a new sexism row after its members were accused of being “condescending” and “belittling” to women.
Dr Latifa Patel, who chaired this week’s British Medical Association (BMA) annual conference in Belfast, said she had been disrespected and subjected to “misconduct”.
She told delegates that she and Dr Emma Runswick, deputy chair of the BMA council, were treated differently to their male predecessors.
It suggests the culture has not changed five years after Daphne Romney QC conducted an independent review into sexism in the doctors’ union.
Dr Latifa Patel, who chaired the BMA’s annual conference this year, said she had been subject to “misconduct”.
She said she and Dr Emma Runswick (pictured), deputy chair of the BMA council, were treated differently to their male predecessors.
Some men addressed women with degrading terms such as “naughty girls,” touched them inappropriately and leered at their breasts, the report found.
Dr. Patel urged members to vote for more women and minorities in the internal elections. She said: “If they want to be a representative body, they need to support the women around them.”
The dispute risks overshadowing a five-day strike by junior doctors, which begins today.
Critics labeled doctors “hypocrites” for demanding a 35 percent pay rise and better working conditions while importing union-branded hats, likely to be worn on picket lines, from China, where workers are often treated evil.
