'An attitude of lack of respect will see me, and other junior doctors leave'

Adam Bharmal, who lives in Finchley, views the mass upheaval as a viable option in light of Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt’s imposed new contracts.

Mr Hunt wants to create a 24 hour, seven day a week NHS and claims patients are more likely to die at weekends or at night – but doctors say these figures have been “misreported”.

The changes could also lead to doctors taking a 15 to 30 per cent pay cut to work more hours.

Mr Bharmal, 21, who is in his third year of a medicine degree at Nottingham University, said: “An attitude of lack of respect will see me and many junior doctors leave.

“Why would you even consider staying under these conditions?”

Emergency medicine is Mr Bharmal’s preferred interest but the long hours are becoming untenable under Mr Hunt’s contract.

He said: “As bad as A&E is now I can’t imagine what it will be like in the future.” Mr Bharmal has already seen a family member and medical student apply for a foundation year post in Cardiff following the failed strike action.

Mr Bharmal also believes the changes will lead to more doctors venturing further afield to find work in Australia and New Zealand.

He said: “Is this really what this government wants?

“Millions invested in training the doctors of tomorrow, only to see them shipped abroad where conditions are better.”

Last week, junior doctors went on strike after talks between Government officials and negotiators representing the doctors failed to reach an agreement.

Mr Bharmal claims he has considered leaving the profession he has invested thousands to pursue over the changes.

He added: “I try to approach the change with optimism but I have no idea what the future holds.”

In a letter to Finchley MP Mike Freer, Mr Bharmal wrote

Dear Mike Freer

I am currently a medical student living in Finchley and studying in Nottingham. I am profoundly disappointed with Mr Hunt's handling of the junior doctor contract and his ignorant and quite frankly patronising view of healthcare professionals.

The contract imposition is a paramount example of his hard handedness and he is a symbol of distrust and toxicity.

His argument that the BMA is misleading an entire cohort of 53,000 highly trained and educated doctors is dead in the water given that even as a medical student, I've read the proposed changes to the contract and I can see for myself that it will have a detrimental effect on patient safety as doctors are spread thinner across the week.

As a future doctor, I, and my colleague, are extremely worried for our future careers.

We would expect that being highly trained professionals who have lost a minimum 2-3 years of earning potential due to longer university courses, replaced by student debt, would be able to take care of our patients without the need to hugely sacrifice our social lives.

Yes, medicine is a vocation, and we all chose to do it, but that doesn't mean we are slaves to the system and we would expect to be treated fairly.

Neither Scotland or Wales are imposing a new unsafe contract on their doctors and as a result my own family member who will graduate from medical school this year has applied for a foundation post in Cardiff with plans to move to Canada after the first 2 years.

I myself have plans to apply to Scotland for my foundation years and move to Australia/New Zealand while I have few family obligations in the UK. Many doctors in the UK would like to move but are tied down by other commitments, and are in fact encouraging medical students to consider our options abroad in their stead. Is this really what this government wants?

Millions invested in training the doctors of tomorrow, only to see them shipped abroad where conditions are better?

I would encourage the government to review what it re ally thinks of its doctors and start mending relationships so that I, and my colleagues in medical school can have a little hope and faith that we don't have to emigrate from a fantastic country because our collective democratic voices are being ignored.