British Medical Association chair Dr Hamish Meldrum has struggled with the perennial problem of how to position the BMA as both the guardian of the patient’s interest and the opposer of many government reforms.

But, despite this dilemma, the BMA remains a main player in healthcare politics, with considerable ability to stymie or promote reform. Not by nature a Dr No, he has urged doctors to get involved with reform, despite their many qualms about the direction of government policies. His opposition to polyclinics came under question when it was discovered his practice was involved in a bid to deliver one. But what other medical leader can claim to have come second on the Krypton Factor?

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HSJ50 2009 - Major Shifts of Power