Tony Keable-Elliott: GP who turned around the fortunes of the BMA
BMJ 2020; 370 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.m3225 (Published 17 August 2020) Cite this as: BMJ 2020;370:m3225
- Joanna Lyall
- London, UK
- joannalyall50{at}gmail.com
When Tony Keable-Elliott was BMA treasurer he increased the association’s reserves more than sevenfold, from £1.9m (€2.1m; $2.5m) in 1981 to £15.2m in 1987, converting the Great Hall and updating rooms so they could be commercially let.
Honouring the achievement in July 1987, Stephen Lock, editor of The BMJ at the time, wrote that when Keable-Elliott came to office, “The Great Hall was ridiculed as the most expensive badminton court in Europe; empty day after day because it failed to meet acceptable standards of acoustics, warmth, or fire safety.”
BMA
Keable-Elliott overcame many obstacles to achieve a cleaner, brighter, financially viable building, with humanity and his characteristic “moderate medicopolitical stance,” Lock added.
“Tony literally turned things round when membership had fallen below 50% and the association was on the brink of bankruptcy,” said John Marks, a contemporary of Keable-Elliott’s and chairman of council from 1984 to 1990. “He had finance at his fingertips, was a wonderful negotiator, and won us a brilliant pension scheme. …
Log in
Log in using your username and password
Log in through your institution
Subscribe from £184 *
Subscribe and get access to all BMJ articles, and much more.
* For online subscription
Access this article for 1 day for:
£50 / $60/ €56 (excludes VAT)
You can download a PDF version for your personal record.