Dr Mark Porter hit out at the government at the start of the union’s annual conference.
He accused ministers of putting patients at risk and “picking the pockets” of NHS staff because of the squeeze on wages.
But ministers rejected the criticisms, saying they were putting more money into the health service.
Dr Porter launched the attack as doctors gathered in Bournemouth.
He said: “We have a government trying to keep the health service running on nothing but fumes. A health service at breaking point.
“Run by ministers who wilfully ignore the pleas of the profession and the impact on patients.
“It doesn’t have to be this way. It is the result of an explicit political choice.”
Since 2010, the budget has been increasing by 1% a year on average, compared to 4% before then.
Mr Porter went on to point out that compared to other developed economies, less was being spent on the NHS than other health systems.
And he said this was having a direct impact on patients, pointing to the rise in the numbers of patients facing long waits for a bed following an emergency admission – up four-fold in five years – as proof.
Article from BBC News, 26 June 2017.