THE British Medical Association (BMA) has been accused of withdrawing a speaking invitation for the founder of Medical Aid for Palestinians — giving no clear reason.
NHS doctor and founder of the aid agency Dr Ang Swee Chai was scheduled to speak at the annual Medical Students Conference being held in London on Friday, April 4.
Swee Chai accused the BMA of cancelling her invitation with 48-hour notice, giving no clear reason for doing so when pressed by herself and her team. However, the association has argued they cancelled her invitation in December of last year.
Swee Chai, 76, is an orthopaedic surgeon who survived the Sabra-Shatila massacre in 1982 during the Israeli invasion of Lebanon. She later founded Medical Aid for Palestinians, where she has volunteered ever since, alongside her forty-eight-year career as a regular NHS doctor.
When asked for further clarity on the reasons why this decision was made, the BMA said the new agenda had already been finalised, and it would not be feasible for Swee Chai to speak, without providing any further elaboration.
Swee Chai now intends to give her prepared speech in front of BMA House, ahead of the slot that she was meant to be speaking at 12 pm.
Swee Chai said: "I was invited to speak to medical students, after all, they are the doctors of the future. And yet, the institution that claims to represent them is shutting down free speech and ignoring their wishes on who they wish to hear from.
"My message is one of peace and humanity, not divisiveness. I am committed to my British patients in the NHS and my Palestinian patients through MAP for the same reasons, a duty of care towards their wellbeing.
"What sort of example an organisation is setting when it lets pernicious politics interfere with a message of caring for one’s patients?”.
A BMA spokesperson said: "We are sorry that Dr Ang is disappointed about not being able to speak at Medical Students Conference.
"In December of last year, we wrote to Dr Ang advising her that we were withdrawing the invitation and that she would not be a speaker at the Medical Students Conference, which begins tomorrow.
"In that correspondence to Dr Ang, we carefully and clearly outlined the reasons for our decision. It is incorrect to suggest that the BMA provided only 48 hours’ notice or did not provide specific reasoning for our decision”.
Swee Chai will also be speaking a day later at Bart’s Royal London Hospital, where she was the first female orthopaedic consultant appointed in its 900-year history.
The event will take place at the Milton Lecture Theatre on April 5, at the National Orthopaedic Conference 2025.
