Pubdate: Sun, 26 Mar 2000 Source: Sunday Herald, The (UK) Copyright: 2000 Sunday Herald Contact: 195 Albion Street Glasgow G1 1QP Fax: +44 (0)141 302 7809 Website: http://www.sundayherald.com/ Author: By Sarah-Kate Templeton Health Editor MED STUDENTS VOTE FOR DRUG TESTS The student body of the British Medical Association last night voted overwhelmingly for the introduction of random drug and alcohol testing for doctors and other health professionals. At the medical students' annual conference at St Andrew's University around 100 members of the BMA voted for spot drug and alcohol checks on doctors. By voting for the reforms the students have clashed with older generations of doctors within the BMA who are opposed to random testing, seeing it as an infringement of their civil liberties. Helena Mennell, a medical student at Guy's, King's and St Thomas's School of Medicine, London, was prompted to push for reform after being shocked by a remark made to her about drugs by a fellow student. She said: "It is something I feel strongly about. One of my fellow students said, 'I would love to perform an operation on speed.' The remark made me think a lot about it. I was quite surprised by the the result; I thought people would think it was an infringement of their rights but doctors are notorious for over-indulging in alcohol. "The students who voted for this today are a responsible bunch. I was very encouraged and hope it will now be adopted as BMA policy. It is against the BMA's guidelines but the public wants an acknowledgement that we are taking this seriously. This would be a way of making a positive gesture to the public. We would be saying: 'You can trust us because we are willing to undergo tests'." Mennell said that if a doctor was recognised as having a drug or alcohol problem as a result of the tests he or she would be offered counselling and support and hopefully be able to return to work. But James McCaul, deputy chair of the junior doctors committee, is against random testing of doctors. He insists doctors do not ask for patients to be tested before they are treated and would consider new rules an infringement of doctors' civil liberties. He said: "Attacks on doctors in Accident and Emergency wards are increasing and we do not have random testing of patients. We are expected to take the public at face value. "It is interesting that the students say this now before they start practising. I would like to hear what they have to say once they start working with patients. Of those who voted 25% will give up because the hours are so long." Last year a report submitted to government ministers by representatives from the NHS executive, health trusts and medical unions recommended that all doctors suspected of drinking or taking drugs should be subject to spot checks as part of their employment contract. The report followed a survey of 300 GPs which found that more than half knew a colleague who drank too much. A further 20% said they knew of a doctor who had a drug problem. The problem of alcoholic doctors hit headlines in 1997 when surgeon Gerald Davies of St John's hospital in Livingston admitted to a fatal accident inquiry that he drank half a bottle of whisky a night. His drinking only came to light after operations on two people who subsequently died. The fatal accident inquiry found, however, that while his drinking may have played a part in the deaths, there was no evidence to conclude that this was certain. The issue is now expected to be debated at the BMA annual general meeting in London in June. - --- MAP posted-by: Allan Wilkinson