Drs Stephen Watkins & Kailash Chand to Stand for BMA Council
Stockport Director of Public Health, Dr Stephen Watkins and Neighbouring LMC Chairman and Tameside GP, Dr Kailash Chand are standing for election to the BMA Council.

Ballot papers will be issued on March 27^th in the BMA Council elections and all BMA members should receive one.

Your LMC urges all BMA members to vote in this election and would draw your attention to the following

• The election is no longer on a craft basis and you can vote for any candidate. For example our own Director of Public Health, Steve Watkins, has been a BMA Council member since 1991. You have not hitherto been able to vote for him as public health has been a separate constituency from general practice but in this election you would be able to vote for him
• The election is by STV with quota so your order of preferences is important. Your vote remains with your first choice candidate and only that candidate until he/she is elected or eliminated and only then moves to your second choice so order of  preference is critical.
• For the same reason you cannot harm the chances of your preferred candidate by using further preferences.

It would not be appropriate for your LMC to collectively support a candidate, however Dr Ranjit Gill has asked that it be made known that he nominated Dr Stephen Watkins as Steve has a wide understanding of health policy issues, is sympathetic to primary care, considerable experience on BMA Council and has fought to improve casework for doctors in need of BMA support.

In addition your LMC is pleased to reproduce the following short statement from Dr Kailash Chand to enlist local GP support for his candidacy.

Mission Statement:-Current government policy threatens to fragment and undermine the NHS and erode our professionalism. The BMA must expose where necessary and oppose without fear. I have a vested interest in the future of general practice, and if elected I shall do my utmost to represent colleagues in all crafts in promoting better BMA policies, influencing less radical changes in the NHS, ensuring that MMC remains in our radar. I have been outspoken on these matters and wish voters to know that I will empathically represent their views to ensure that the BMA remains connected with members.

The King's Fund was right in its recent report to call for the depoliticisation of health care, and there is no doubt that genuine decentralisation where doctors take decisions, rather than Whitehall bureaucrats, is the way forward.

 

Offices held with various organisations

• Chairman BMA Tameside & Glossop

• Member of the National Committee (GPC), which is a negotiating body on the GP Contract with the government and is the representative of the 30,000 GPs.

• Past member of Northwest BBC (GMR) advisory council.  Regular commentator on BBC Radio and television commenting on health matters

• Vice Chairman of International council of Indian languages and culture, promoting Integration and understanding in multiracial Britain

• Actively organised numerous cultural and educational events like India's 50^th Independence celebrations attended by local MPs., MEP, Pakistani and Sir Lanka's Dignitaries

• Active participation in numerous local charities to promote mental health and local Hospice

• Past School Governor of two school in Tameside

Publications (Numerous articles to promote health and community affairs)

• Medical Press

• Daily Express

• Tribune

• Times

Areas of professional interest

• Primary Health Care

• Development of Clinical Medical Service in West Pennine Health Districts in the capacity of Secretary of Local Medical Practitioner Committee

• Medical politics relating to provision of health care

Professional contribution in UK:

Outstanding contribution in the field of development of Primary Health Care in the UK on Bevin Health Care principal addressing the conundrum of reducing expectation to affordable levels.