BMA’s call to stop using child labour products in NHS

Dangerous working conditions and the use of child labour in the production of NHS medical supplies must not be supported, is the message today from the British Medical Association’s (BMA)  Medical Fair and Ethical Trade group.

According to research conducted by the BMA, eight out of ten doctors were fully supportive about the NHS purchasing goods that had been ethically sourced, but only one in ten doctors are aware of their existence.

To encourage the use of ethically produced equipment within the NHS, the BMA has launched an information campaign to get doctors more involved.

BMA advisor on the BMA’s Medical Fair and Ethical Trade Group, Dr Mahmood Bhutta said: “Some of the workers in the developing world making medical supplies bound for the NHS are exposed to hazardous working conditions where they risk serious injury and even death. There is also evidence that children as young as seven are risking their lives to supply us with equipment to save British lives.

More information can be found at: www.fairmedtrade.org.uk