BMA Giving open to applications
Funding is used to provide a range of help and advice to doctors in financial need and assist some back into work
For gynaecology and cancer surgeon Saladin Sawan, the David Nott Foundation has been instrumental in helping him to save lives by changing his own.
For the past decade, the foundation, which was established by UK surgeon David Nott (pictured above), has provided training in emergency trauma surgery to doctors working in conflict zones or areas affected by natural disasters.
Mr Sawan, who along with fellow surgeon Peter Mathew, has been closely involved with the foundation since its inception, said that without its influence he may never have had the opportunity to learn and provide lifesaving care to people caught up in some of the world’s most dangerous and desperate conflict zones.
‘I’ve been to Gaza twice and did a lot of work in Idlib in Syria during the [Assad] regime,’ he recalled.
‘It [the foundation] opened doors for me and encouraged me. Frankly without it, I wouldn’t have made it to these places, and I wouldn’t have done any of the hopefully good work there with my colleagues.’
Sense of camaraderie
The importance of the foundation’s work has meant it is among just a handful of healthcare organisations to become a multiple-time recipient of funding from BMA Giving.
This year saw the charity receive £9,950 to enable five surgeons from low and middle-income countries to attend the foundation’s HEST (Hostile Environment Surgical Training), which is hosted at the Royal College of Surgeons in Edinburgh.
Through its work, the foundation runs biannual five-day courses in trauma surgery in Edinburgh as well as training events overseas.
Surgeon Peter Mathew said the foundation attracts doctors from different professional backgrounds and geographic regions, the shared values of those who participate in its training results in a powerful sense of camaraderie.
‘Participants bring a wide mix of specialties and experience to the course and the overarching theme is the desire to understand better the challenges of humanitarian surgery,’ he said.
‘We give them hands on advice from [our] experience in the field, provided within the safe and intimate setting of the college. During the course there’s a wonderful spirit of friendship, of people gathering together with a shared purpose.’
Financial hardship
Applications to the 2026 BMA Giving awards are now open, with the fund having seen a total of £75,000 donated to 10 health and medical-related organisations last year.
These include the Cameron Fund, a medical benevolent charity which, for more than 50 years, has been dedicated to supporting GPs facing financial hardship.
The charity was last year awarded £8,000 by BMA Giving, with funding used to provide a range of help and advice to doctors in financial need and assistance back into work.
One GP named Reena* turned to the Cameron Fund after being unable to work and struggling with her mental health following suspension from practice by the GMC.
She later wrote of how the charity’s advice and financial support had proved critical to her getting through an extremely difficult period in her life.
‘There was a delay in obtaining suspension payment and I had nothing to live on, neither could I pay my mortgage,’ she said.
‘The Cameron Fund gave me several emergency grants each month. They saved my house, and I am eternally grateful.’
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Cameron Fund chief executive Jill Rowlinson said the majority of applicants to the fund are typically dealing with some form of ill health or disability, but many were also facing issues such as bereavement, relationship breakdown, domestic violence and partial or total loss of employment.
She said the support of BMA Giving had been critical to the Cameron Fund being able to continue to provide support at what is an extremely challenging time for doctors in general practice.
‘It [BMA Giving funding] has been really important and helpful to us,’ explained Ms Rowlinson.
‘We’re not a charity that attracts a huge popular appeal, most donors are going to be GPs themselves with the rest made up from donations by local medical committees, so something like this is vitally important to us.’
Other recent recipients include the charity Book Aid International which received £5,000 from the awards scheme in 2025.
Literacy challenge
The funding allowed the charity, which works to increase access to reading material worldwide, to donate thousands of medical books to the Kenya Medical Training College.
With BMA Giving’s funding directly enabling the purchase of 2,500 books, Book Aid International reported that their efforts had ultimately helped to contribute to improved healthcare standards across Kenya.
Other successful organisations include NICHE International which seeks to reduce rates of infant mortality in low-income countries by providing training to healthcare workers.
Following a grant of £2,500 from BMA Giving in 2024, the charity was able to supply training equipment such as neonatal manikins and bag valve masks to eight healthcare facilities in remote areas of Cameroon.
Entry to this year’s BMA Giving awards is now open and closes on 5 March. For more information on how to apply visit the BMA website
