Labours candidate for Chard South today slammed a controversial UKIP leaflet recently delivered to some homes in Chard.
“I have been contacted by a number of women telling me that they are disgusted with this leaflet. In it UKIP claim that “positive discrimination” has led to 75% of doctors in training being women. A quick fact check revealed that this is simply incorrect. The NHS employers organisation says that the true figure is currently 53%, so just a little over half of trainee doctors are women.
“The UKIP leaflet also asks “do we need women doctors?” This is an attack on the work of local women GPs working in our surgeries in Chard. Many women would feel more comfortable with a woman GP, and that’s across the whole spectrum of medical issues. It’s saddening in this day and age that anyone would imply that women doctors are somehow second class. This is a reckless expression of old-fashioned prejudice. The answer to the question do we need more women doctors is a resounding “YES” and Chard would suffer without them. In Chard there are 17 doctors in 3 surgeries, and of these 9 are women. I doubt any of their patients would prefer they weren’t there.”