London:
One of Britain's senior-most Indian-origin doctors today warned the UK government not to pile more pressure on already over-worked medical staff in the country.
Chaand Nagpaul, chair of the British Medical Association (BMA) General Practice Committee, made his comments in reference to Prime Minister David Cameron's election pledge to ensure general practitioners (GPs) surgeries will be open seven days a week.
"The government must halt its surreal obsession for practices to open seven days when there aren't the GPs to even cope with current demands," Mr Nagpaul said at an annual conference of local medical committees.
He said that it can compromise the quality of care provided in the country.
"It would damage quality care by spreading GPs so thinly, and replace continuity of care with impersonal shift work, and will reduce our availability for older, vulnerable patients," he added.
During the general election campaign earlier this year, the ruling Conservatives pledged access to GPs between 8 am and 8 pm seven days a week, by 2020 in England. The party also pledged everyone over 75 would get a same-day appointment to see their GP.
But the proposals have been rejected and GPs warn that plans to recruit 5,000 more doctors in England would fail as they are fleeing the profession due to being over-worked and the lack of support.
Mr Nagpaul, who is also the principal spokesperson for UK-based GPs said, "It's absolutely pointless promising 5,000 extra GPs within this Parliament if we lose 10,000 GPs retiring in the same period," Mr said Nagpaul, pointing to a survey of 15,000 GPs which showed one in three intending to retire.
He said demand on services has soared as practices are used as the "backstop for every problem in the NHS and beyond".
There were 40 million more GP appointments annually than five years ago, yet the proportion of NHS funds spent in general practice was falling, he said, calling for a complete overhaul of the system.
The UK government's Department of Health dismissed the warnings as "overly negative and pessimistic view" from the doctors' union.
"Thousands of GPs across the country are already offering patients GP access seven days a week - by next March, a third of the country will be covered.
"We have made it very clear that we will train 5,000 more GPs and have backed the NHS's own plan for the future by investing the 8 billion pounds it needs to transform care closer to home," a spokesperson said.