Rita Pal
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Dr Pal is an independent medical journalist based in the UK. Between 1999-2007, she worked as a psychiatrist in the National Health Service UK. She has written for a number of publications around the world. Please visit the website Dr Rita Pal . Anyone can contact her via Email. She is also on Twitter, Google Plus. and Facebook.

Dr Pal is also a well established, evidence-based NHS whistleblower. Details of this can be found in the articles Elderly Helped to Die and a summary of Ward 87 North Staffordshire NHS Trust . She has also summarised her experiences in a short narrative available on Amazon - The North Staffordshire Whistleblower - and was second author in the leading research paper Whistleblowing and Patient Safety, published by the JRSM.

Dr Pal was the first whistleblower to raise concerns in the Midlands hospitals run by the same local health authority. The Mid Staffordshire Inquiry demonstrated many of the problems that she raised with the Department of Health in 1999/2000. Her concerns were ignored, with the net result that many patients died needlessly. For reasons known only to themselves, the mainstream media have been reluctant to feature these issues, although Dr Pal is grateful to the Guardian for this feature.

She was the first doctor to successfully conduct civil litigation under the Human Rights Act, the Data Protection Act and in Defamation against the General Medical Council UK. The judgments can be found here. The General Medical Council has since apologised for the distress caused. A short report of the case can be read here.
Dr Pal is no longer on the GMC's register due to non payment of subscription fees.

Her name was placed on the Royal Society of Medicine Wall of Honour following support from a number of doctors.


Information of Interest

1. Medical Journalist Oncall.
2. Naman Astitva - The Journey Home.
3. The Midnight Compass.
4. The Garden Adventures
5. India Behind the Lens. Column
6. Kashmir Scenario - Column.

Entries by Rita Pal

The Carer's Lifeline

(1) Comments | Posted 13 June 2013 | (16:07)

Carers' Week runs from 10 -19 June 2013. This UK-wide annual awareness campaign is aimed at improving the lives of the country's 6.5million carers [700,000 are young carers].

Every day, 6000 people take on a caring responsibility - 3 out of 5 people will do so at some...

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The Voice of Carl Frenais

(0) Comments | Posted 12 June 2013 | (09:44)

Carl Frenais describes himself as a "Singer-Songwriter-Guitarist" based in beautiful Cochin, India. To legions of his female fans, Carl is a handsome young singer with a voice of silk that reminds us of a young Elvis Presley. Clearly a dynamic performer despite his young age, Carl has a...

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Rape in Kashmir - The Forgotten War Crime

(0) Comments | Posted 1 June 2013 | (21:56)

I have previously summarised human rights abuses in Kashmir in this post. Issues affecting Kashmir appear to have been missed from the international stage. Its people bravely struggle on alone, attempting to achieve some accountability. With one of the highest rates of post traumatic stress disorder...

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Maternal Health Whistleblower Arrested

(2) Comments | Posted 30 May 2013 | (08:41)

Madhuri Ramakrishnasway, a maternal health activist was arrested on the 16th May 2013 outside the court in Barwani, Madhya Pradesh [MP], India. The police had received a complaint from those in charge of a hospital currently under scrutiny for the alleged mismanagement and neglect of maternal health. The background of...

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Medical Protests in Uttar Pradesh

(0) Comments | Posted 22 April 2013 | (06:41)

Medical students in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh were expected to take to the streets in protest today, amid mounting outrage at the way state officials have replaced a national qualification with its local predecessor.

The protest is the latest in a series of confrontations between the...

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Court Freezes Careers of 90,000 Indian Doctors

(7) Comments | Posted 19 April 2013 | (08:24)

90,000 doctors have had their careers stalled by the significant delays of India's Supreme Court . Fury gripped the medical community due to the bureaucratic nightmare that has pushed their patience to the limit. Peaceful protests, fasts and petitions have been taking place all over India. The medical...

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Thatcher - England's Working Girl

(2) Comments | Posted 9 April 2013 | (09:56)

Baroness Margaret Thatcher passed away at the Ritz Hotel this week. I have felt a great sense of empathy for the manner in which the elderly Baroness was treated in the final years of her life. In short, I felt she was mistreated by the media and a number of...

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Bradley Manning - A Case of Whistleblower Reprisal

(1) Comments | Posted 13 March 2013 | (07:52)

"In a time of universal deceit - telling the truth is a revolutionary act" George Orwell.

Since 9/11, the US has instigated a number of conflicts in the Middle East in the war against terror. The civilian body count is high but the actual number is unknown. Some...

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NHS Gagging Clauses

(0) Comments | Posted 16 February 2013 | (14:01)

The debate over so-called "gagging clauses" in NHS employment disputes rumbles on, doubtless fuelled by the outcome of the Mid Staffordshire inquiry. In an emotional, knee-jerk reaction, calls for a ban on such "gagging clauses" are reaching fever pitch.

For readers who have never been involved in legal wrangles with...

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Patient Safety at Mid Staffordshire and North Staffordshire

(3) Comments | Posted 10 February 2013 | (23:00)

A long overdue public inquiry into the appalling standards of care at Mid Staffordshire NHS Trust is complete. The findings are not unexpected.

It is, however, a matter of grave concern that such efforts should be necessary before the plight of patients on sub-standard wards is noticed....

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Human Rights Abuses in Kashmir

(0) Comments | Posted 7 December 2012 | (20:02)

It is not clear to me why the human rights abuses within Jammu and Kashmir (Indian administered) have not been headline news all over the world. Certainly, the Indian media appears to have muted the events in Kashmir.

The types of abuses against civilians ongoing since the 1990s include:...

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Love Science

(1) Comments | Posted 30 November 2012 | (13:06)

We all suffer from love sickness at some point in our lives. The exhilarating feeling of intoxication and rush of emotions is caused by a cocktail of chemicals affecting our physiological state. The three proposed stages of love are lust, attraction and attachment. Scientists say that each stage is influenced...

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The Diamorphine Spectre

(1) Comments | Posted 1 November 2012 | (14:40)

Diamorphine is regularly used in palliative care, clinical medicine and addiction psychiatry. It also has its application in the controversial Liverpool Care Pathway. The routine clinical use of diamorphine in medicine is unique to the UK, but this is not well known outside the UK. This useful controlled...

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The Lancashire Witch Trials

(1) Comments | Posted 31 October 2012 | (04:51)

Halloween is upon us, and it is time for a haunting tale of mystery, intrigue and witchcraft from the deepest darkest recesses of English history. Between the 15th and 18th Centuries, there were approximately 500 executions following witch trials. Nestled in the beautiful rolling country-side is a place...

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The Page 3 Uplift - An Asset to the Sun.

(3) Comments | Posted 20 September 2012 | (15:57)

The Independent presented an article about a campaign against Page 3 of the Sun newspapers. . Lucy Ann Holmes writes a laudable account as to why Page 3 should be removed. She effectively blames a large number of society's problems on Page 3. While the editor of the...

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Part-Time Doctors are not A 'Risk' to the NHS

(3) Comments | Posted 19 September 2012 | (09:27)

The Telegraph recently sported the headline " Part Time Women Doctors are a 'risk'" to the NHS". The page showed a lady doctor reviewing x-rays. The lead into the article wrote

"Rising numbers of women doctors working part-tine present a 'huge risk' to the NHS, the General Medical...

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Once in a Blue Moon

(0) Comments | Posted 30 August 2012 | (17:03)

The blue moon appears on Friday 31 August 2012. "The moon will turn full Friday, the second time since its first full appearance Aug 2 this year. The next blue moon will only be seen three years from now, July 2015" said Science Popularization Association Communicators and Educators (SPACE) in...

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Whistleblowing and Patient Safety : The Patient's or the profession's interests at stake?

(6) Comments | Posted 8 August 2012 | (08:29)

Medical whistleblowing has featured in countless newspaper headlines. The stories are usually victim-focused, implying that if you blow the whistle, your life is automatically destroyed. While that may be true in some cases, the stereotypical "victim" imagery is not constructive, helping neither the psychology of the individual whistleblower, nor the...

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Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea

(0) Comments | Posted 3 August 2012 | (00:40)

Fasting has been common throughout history . It is the act of willingly abstaining from some or all food, drink, or both, for a period of time. It is often used as a method of non-violent resistance to effect political change. Famous fasts include the forty hour fast...

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Starsailor's James Walsh - Real Music For Real People.

(0) Comments | Posted 29 July 2012 | (10:51)

Starsailor is a northern band originating from Wigan in Lancashire, UK. The members met at Wigan and Leigh College, first bursting onto the music scene as performers in 2001. Their irresistibly dashing good looks and spectacular music attracted attention to their debut album, "Love Is Here",which sold over...

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