The British Medical Association (BMA) has revealed it offers a small number of its most senior employees private medical insurance.
According to the body, while it could confirm some of its workers are offered the optional perk, it could not say how many people had accepted the benefit or how much is spent on it annually, Pulse Today reports.
A spokesman said private medical insurance is being rolled out only to more valuable employees as part of their remuneration package.
“[This] ensures that we are able to continue to attract very senior members of staff by offering benefits that you might expect from similar roles in similar organisations,” they added.
It was confirmed that BMA chair Dr Mark Porter does not receive the insurance, which is not offered to workers at institutions like NHS England or the Royal College of General Practitioners.
This comes after the General Medical Council was found to have spent £255,000 on private medical insurance for nearly two-thirds of its workforce this year.
Chair of Sefton Medical Council Andrew Mimnagh told the news provider he is “surprised” to hear the BMA is rolling out the benefit to its employees.