The following is an edited letter to the Premier, Michael Dunkley, and copied to The Royal Gazette

Dear Mr Dunkley,

I write in support of an earlier e-mail sent to you by my colleague, Robert Martin. I qualified from the University of Bristol, England, in July 1969, which means that I have been a practising physician for nearly half a century.

I have practised in the following countries: England, Trinidad and Tobago, Nigeria, and now in Bermuda. In the UK, I was initially a surgeon in cardiothoracic surgery, then retrained in general practice and holistic medicine before going to Nigeria as a lecturer in medicine at the University of Ibadan for three years.

I have been in full-term general practice and holistic medicine since 1979, initially in the UK and since 1997 here in Bermuda. And as with Dr Martin, my licences to practice and my professional conduct certificate had been issued by the professional medical body in each country. In the UK, this is the General Medical Council and the British Medical Association; in Nigeria, the Nigeria Medical Council and the Nigerian Medical Association; in Trinidad and Tobago, the Trinidad and Tobago Medical Council and the Trinidad and Tobago Medical Association.

On arriving in Bermuda in 1997, I continued to remain on the General Medical Council register and remained a member of the British Medical Association. To practise locally, I was granted the local licence by the Bermuda Medical Council on whose register I am on at present. As you will notice, all those licensing authorities were modelled after the UK protocol, and the professional conduct authorities were based on the British Medical Association. My colleagues who hold qualifications from the United States and Canada had also been licensed to practise by their various state medical licensing boards.

All the aforementioned bodies, including the Bermuda Medical Council, had been granted their charters by their various Acts of Parliament. The Bermuda Health Council, which came into being in 2006, was never intended to be a licensing body, nor one to issue professional conduct appraisals on healthcare providers. I should know, as I was a member of the inaugural Bermuda Health Council, which at its inception was seen by most as a non-political body. Its role was one of what one might expect of the Consumer Affairs or Ombudsman departments. That the role was increasingly made more political, and hence its role strengthened in some areas, cannot be blamed on you or your government.

However, what is abundantly clear is that in this tiny nation of Bermuda, where there is not a single university, and hence no medical school, a body such as the Bermuda Health Council cannot and should not be made to regulate and discipline physicians or other healthcare providers. I ask of you to check to see whether there is anywhere in the world where such a system exists — a system where a body consisting of randomly chosen individuals is made to oversee professionals. Professionals cannot and should not be licensed or controlled by a quango. Do we have an equivalent body for lawyers, accountants, teachers or any other professionals in Bermuda? Why is it necessary to fix something that is not broken? If the Government is concerned about issues involving physicians or other healthcare providers, then those statutory bodies already granted charters to regulate these professionals should be adequate enough. If the Government feels that such bodies are not up to the task, it should replace their membership and not create another entity to muddle the waters.

Is this Bill really necessary? I am not in the Government to know what the answer to that question is. One thing that I know is that it is high time the Bermuda Health Council had its “power” over healthcare providers curtailed.

Therefore, like my well-meaning friend and colleague, Dr Martin, and my other colleagues, I implore you to suspend further debate on this Bill while diligent work is done to see whether this is really a pressing matter at this time or at any time in Bermuda, especially in view of other much more important and pressing issues facing our country.

FEMI BADA, MD

Integrated Medical Practice