The BMA is the first medical organisation to publicly call on the government to rethink its plans.
The doctors’ union is very much in favour of reform and for many years has issued stark warnings that without fundamental change, the NHS cannot survive.
But it has now come out strongly against the government’s current plans to transform healthcare by reducing the number of regional health boards to two.
The first minister argued consolidation would reduce bureaucracy while freeing up more time and capacity to improve patient care. He also claimed it would reduce inequality for some patients.
But the BMA don’t see it that way.
They are also not alone in raising concerns that consolidation could actually widen health inequalities if people are forced to travel further for treatment. The patient safety commissioner, as well as some rural campaign groups, have echoed these fears.
The union also question where the evidence is that these reforms are in the interests of patients and NHS staff, saying a reorganisation could be time-consuming and costly.
Others have argued that structural reform does not address wider issues the NHS faces around access to social care, which the government is also trying to address.
It is also unclear whether this new structure will result in financial savings by cutting senior roles or streamlining departments.
At the moment, the NHS has a no compulsory redundancy programme which the government reiterated its commitment to after this announcement was made.
The union Unite, which represents thousands of health and social care workers in Scotland, warned ministers at the time that it was considering “all options” if the reorganisation results in cuts to jobs or frontline services.
