BMJ 2002;324:1274 ( 25 May )

Letters

The fresh new contract for general practitioners

    BMJ should give equal space to opposing views of new contract
    One principal buys a new car to celebrate
    New contract has many failings
    General practitioners are in impossible position
    New contract is con trick
    New contract will make rural general practitioners' lives even harder
    Contract proposals are fatally flawed

BMJ should give equal space to opposing views of new contract

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

EDITOR---Lewis and Gillam write as if the new contract for general practitioners has been accepted by general practice.1 This is not the case, and indeed there is a preliminary vote [in June] on whether the framework is acceptable to general practice.

The framework as stated is by no means complete, pensions have not been adequately addressed, the contract has not been priced, and the government still retains the right to unilateral change in any contract.

I hope that the BMJ will not threaten its integrity and allow those who are opposed to this contract an equal chance to portray their views as Lewis and Gillam have.

James P Bell, principal general practitioner. 
Sunderland SR3 4DX jamesbell@doctors.org.uk


1. Lewis R, Gillam S. A fresh new contract for general practitioners. BMJ 2002; 324: 1048-1049[Free Full Text]. (4 May.)

One principal buys a new car to celebrate

EDITOR---I would like to inform all readers of the BMJ that four days after publication of the editorial by Lewis and Gillam I bought myself a brand new Mercedes car to celebrate our proposed new contract.1 I also bought one . . . [Full text of this article]
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Relevant Article

A fresh new contract for general practitioners
Richard Lewis and Stephen Gillam
BMJ 2002 324: 1048-1049. [Extract] [Full Text] [PDF]

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