A beauty queen and physician assistant today revealed how she left the British Medical Association because it was too ‘cliquey’.
Dr. Bhasha Mukherjee, former Miss England, revealed that the union – which is behind the four-day doctors’ strike, considered the worst in NHS history – made her feel ‘banned’ on picket lines.
She claimed that union officials, described by critics as militant, had been “frosty” and unwelcoming during previous strikes.
The 27-year-old, who works in a children’s emergency room, revealed that this prompted her to leave the BMA, meaning she will not be able to join the strikes this week.
However, Doctor Mukherjee from Derby said that even if she was still a member, she could not afford to lose four days’ wages by running away with thousands of her colleagues.
Dr. Bhasha Mukherjee, 27, works in a children’s emergency room and is working towards becoming a qualified general practitioner
She quit the BMA and wouldn’t join her comrades on the line this week because she just can’t afford it and she’s not a member anymore
Dr. Mukherjee had a dramatic confrontation with a BMA spokesperson at an earlier picketline after they told her she couldn’t stand with them.
She claims they changed their mind after Miss England of 2019 revealed she was media trained and had done interviews before.
She said, “I think it was just a face-to-face interaction with a BMA spokesperson on that particular day that made me think a certain way.
“My experience with the picketline was almost “you can’t sit with us.” After I spoke to members of the press, they asked why they wanted to speak to me.
“They asked probing questions after I revealed that I had media training and previous interviews.
“They said something like call me or contact me, we could grab someone like you in the BMA and join us at the picket line.
“You know that feeling where it’s a clique. I didn’t feel very welcome there, it was freezing cold.
“They chose how many people could stand at the picket and then said ‘you can’t stand with us, only seven people are allowed’, but then changed their mind.”
She added, “That was one of the reasons I dropped out of the BMA. Sometimes you have one interaction where you get a visceral response.
“I think it made me feel like I wasn’t part of the movement.”
Dr. Mukherjee will not be joining her North West London NHS colleagues this time as she left the union after the first wave of strikes in March – despite voting for action in the January vote.
And she couldn’t handle the financial burden of losing up to four days’ pay.
She said: “I absolutely support the strike movement, I voted to strike and in my heart I am on strike.
“The first batch of strike days fell on my annual leave, which is usually determined for us. It was an easier decision not to come to work.
“But this is four days of pay and four days of sick leave or care leave.
“The whole point of this strike is for better pay and many of us are struggling.
“The first strike felt like it fell on deaf ears. It played a part that I felt a little hopeless.’
The physician assistant, who qualified in 2019, explained that the strike was not financially viable for her as she is currently trying to buy a house and is saving every penny she can.
Dr. Mukherjee added, “It is a wiser financial decision to go to work and get the wages rather than waiting for a provisional raise.
“Because I work in the emergency room for children, I catch bugs from children. I have to keep my absenteeism to an absolute minimum.
‘I know the enormous impact it has on the team when an employee has a day off.
“Not having enough doctors on site and how that affects patient care. It’s always handy to have more hands on board.’
Young doctors took to picket lines this week as part of a four-day strike in hopes of getting a 35 percent pay rise
The martial arts enthusiast from Derby met with a BMA spokesperson at an earlier picket line after they told her she couldn’t stand with them
The BMA spokesperson is said to have subsequently changed her mind when she revealed she was media trained and had previously given an interview
Dr. Mukherjee also revealed that she knew at least one other person who cannot afford to strike.
This strike has been labeled the ‘most disruptive’ strike action in the NHS’s 75-year history.
The strike is part of a growing row between the BMA, which represents doctors, and the government over wages.
The union, which planned the 96-hour strike, is demanding a 35 percent salary increase.
Junior doctors can earn £29,384 in the first year of basic training, which they begin after completing their medical degree.
It is part of their training and includes 40-hour work weeks during which they complete a series of rotations within a hospital in various specialties. This works out to about £14.13 per hour.
However, the most experienced junior doctors earn £58,398 a year. This equates to £28 per hour, on a 40-hour work week.
MailOnline has contacted the BMA for comment.