BMJ  2005;330:252 (29 January), doi:10.1136/bmj.330.7485.252-b

Letter

The GMC: expediency before principle

Self regulation is a contradiction in terms

The first 100% of the full text of this article appears below.

EDITOR—Isn't it now time that we as doctors acknowledged that professional self regulation is a contradiction in terms?1 Do we trust any other professionals to self regulate—for example, lawyers, politicians, the police? I think not, so why should any layperson trust us in this regard?

If we had the humility and courage to say this publicly we would gain more in public respect than we would lose in self esteem.

Justin A B Robbins, freelance general practitioner

Plymouth PL8 2LB justin.robbins3@btopenworld.com

Competing interests: None declared.

  1. Smith R. The GMC: expediency before principle. BMJ 2005;330: 1-2. (1 January.)[Free Full Text]

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Relevant Article

The GMC: expediency before principle
Richard Smith
BMJ 2005 330: 1-2. [Extract] [Full Text] [PDF]

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