What does your own medicine taste like?

Poor little Tory MP (and former nurse) Nadine Dorries has been bleating about the effect of the recent expenses fraud furore is having on the MPs themselves. They don't like being tarred with the same brush as everyone else, and she's worried that some might commit suicide.

Let's recap shall we?


Over the years there have been a number of medical scandals (Bristol, Alder hey, Shipman, Stafford). Often MPs and ministers have been the first to leap onto the bandwagon, condemning everyone involved BEFORE all of the facts are known. There has then usually been a knee jerk reaction 'to stop it ever happening again' which has been invariably ill thought out or positively bad for medicine, research and the public. The Human Tissue Act and the introduction of a 'license to practice' are cases in point.

Doctors have all been tarred with the same brush and some have cracked under the strain, given up jobs or left the country. Some have committed suicide.

Whilst Dr Rant has thus far declined to enter into the fray on the expenses scandal, preferring to sit back and smuggly watch the Schadenfreude unfold, the tempation to stick a pin the walking voodoo doll that is Nadine Dorries was just too great.

However, I would like to offer a word of advice to Ms Dorries - Don't expect much sympathy from your GP.