British Pakistan Psychiatrists Association

Origin and Early Years

BPPA is the association of British Psychiatrists of Pakistani origin. Since its inception, hardly 3 years back, with the help of a team of dedicated pioneers, the organization has already made its presence felt in the UK and abroad. Apart from taking part in various professional & cultural activities, BPPA is also engaged in helping junior/fellow doctors from Pakistan on several important issues; especially helping the new comers to get into the UK NHS system.

These days it is becoming exceedingly difficult for the juniors to get a job or to be even short-listed for an interview call. Through BPPA, a great numbers of doctors are doing Clinical attachments in different Trusts/Hospitals. By doing so, they get good hands-on experience of working within NHS, and also the Trust/Hospitals get an adequate chance evaluate the performance of these doctors. Consequently, in the event of upcoming jobs the Clinical Attaché, already working in the particular hospital, gets a good chance of being short-listed and to secure a job. All members of BPPA strive hard to help junior doctors achieve clinical attachments.

The members of BPPA, especially the executive board, are very sensitive to the career needs of junior doctors, understanding very well the precise situation junior doctors are undergoing amidst current unemployment and scarcity of career opportunities.

Realizing the prevailing precarious job situation, the Ex-Chairman Dr. Akmal Makhdum and the Secretary Dr. Mateen Durrani, recently have made an email-based system of helping young doctors.

There are 310 enlisted members of BPPA. Almost all of them are connected with one another and with BPPA by email. When any member of BPPA gets a request from a junior colleague for help in their careers, from Clinical Attachment to Specialist Registrar posts, the request is distributed to all members which enlarges the chance of the request to be addressed promptly manifold.

BPPA is proactively concerned to the welfare of junior doctors and is determined to help them as much as possible.

Following statistics indicate the recent performance of BPPA in helping junior/fellow doctor colleagues. The BPPA has been able to help doctors achieve following placements.

Clinical Attachment 88
SHO 29
Staff Grade 06
Career Guidance 138

BPPA has also helped doctors not only in the field of Psychiatry but also in other specialities, by virtue of their personal contacts with the senior doctors of various other disciplines of medicine & surgery.

Another important channel/platform that BPPA has provided over the years, which has proved to be very helpful for the junior doctors, is the periodic annual meetings/conferences. These venues have traditionally become the meeting points amongst the members and especially between junior doctors and their seniors, where juniors informally meet their seniors, discuss their issues in detail, receive valuable guidance and coaching.

Recently BPPA, realizing growing restlessness amongst junior doctor over the scarcity of jobs in UK, have decided to set up a formal GUIDANCE & HELP FORUM FOR DOCTORS, especially for junior doctors. This is a web-based discussion/advice forum, where fellow colleagues not only can discuss various issues but also can request for personal & individual help needed including Job Placement and related matters.

In the last annual general body meeting Dr. M. Sohail A. Qureshi was nominated to coordinate efforts to help juniors, using the website of BPPA. The junior colleagues are encouraged to contact Dr. Qureshi via email (info@bppauk.org) and the BPPA would try its best to address their problems.

Akmal Makhdum
BPPA Chair, 2006

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