The review body recommends what doctors should be paid

In its submission to the review body that decides doctors' pay, it said the increase should be between 5% and 15%.

Most GPs and senior hospital doctors are in line for substantial pay hikes under the terms of their new contracts.

However, the BMA said trainees, other hospital doctors and GPs who are not self-employed are losing out.

Pay hike

Under the new GP contract, the average income of GPs is expected to rise from �65,000 now to �80,000.

Under the terms of the consultant contract, consultants are expected to see their salaries rise by between 9% and 24% depending on their age and experience.

We therefore invite the review body to exercise its judgement in recommending increases in pay within the range 5 to 15% BMA

The BMA said these deals meant other doctors were at risk of seeing their salaries fall behind those of colleagues.

"We consider that those remit groups not covered by long-term agreements bound up in contractual change will need to receive a minimum increase in pay rates of 5% from 1 April 2004 if they are to avoid losing ground against comparators.

"To the extent that they are exposed to the same workload and pressures as the groups covered by such agreements, it would be inequitable to deny them access to appropriate levels of remuneration on the grounds that they have yet to negotiate major contractual change.

"We therefore invite the review body to exercise its judgement in recommending increases in pay within the range 5 to 15%, which would represent a fair level of increase."

The review body is expected to announce its recommendation for doctors' pay later this year.

While its recommendation is not binding, the government usually backs the review body's decision.

The Department of Health is expected to outline its views on how much these doctors should be paid shortly.

Ministers will be keen to ensure doctors' pay does not rise significantly. A substantial pay rise would open the gates for nurses and other health professionals to demand extra pay.

It would also increase fears that money earmarked for improving NHS care is being soaked up by higher salaries.