Guantanamo: a call for action: Would GMC dismiss a complaint against Guantanamo doctor?

doi:10.1136/bmj.332.7545.855-b

BMJ 2006;332:855 (8 April), doi:10.1136/bmj.332.7545.855-b

Letter

Guantanamo: a call for action

Would GMC dismiss a complaint against Guantanamo doctor?

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

EDITOR—Recently the Californian Medical Board dismisseda complaint of medical mistreatment brought against Dr E.^{1 2}The complaint was dismissed because Dr E was superintendentof medical services at Guantanamo. He works for the military.¹²

By dismissing the complaint on these grounds the board has clearlysubjugated its authority to the army and legitimised the employmentof a modern day state inquisitor. We think that our own GeneralMedical Council acts just as spinelessly, abrogating its responsibilitiesto unnamed military authorities.

In 2004 one of us (AR) asked the legal adviser to the GMC toconsider a report that British doctors regularly supported torture(sorry, "stressing") sessions.³ He wrote to the British SurgeonGeneral's Office, who "rejected any suggestion of British Forcesbeing involved in torture." More importantly, he informed usthat the GMC would not investigate the claim, not because hedoubted its seriousness but because the council . . . [Full text of this article]

Christopher J Burns-Cox, consultant physician

Wotton-under-Edge, Gloucestershire GL12 7PB chris.burns-cox@virgin.net

Andrew Rouse, consultant in public health

Birmingham Heartlands Primary Care Trust, Birmingham B15 3RU

David Halpin, retired consultant orthopaedic surgeon

Newton Abbott, Devon TQ13 9XR

Vidhu Mayor, general practitioner

Sparkbrook, Birmingham B12 8HE

Tom Marshall, senior lecturer

University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT