March 18, 2024
1 min read

UK to hire 2,000 Indian doctors to staff NHS

While the initiative is seen by some as a solution to the NHS’s doctor shortage, others expressed concerns over the potential brain drain from India’s healthcare system…reports Asian Lite News

National Health Service (NHS) will recruit 2,000 doctors from India on a fast-track basis as part of an initiative to address the acute shortage of medicos in the country, industry sources said.

The NHS will conduct postgraduate training for the first batch of doctors, who then will be deployed at hospitals in Britain after 6 to 12 months of training. These doctors will be exempted from the Professional and Linguistic Assessments Board (PLAB) examination upon completion of the training programme, they said.

While the initiative is seen by some as a solution to the NHS’s doctor shortage, others expressed concerns over the potential brain drain from India’s healthcare system.

Ravi Bhatke, an orthopaedic surgeon closely involved with the NHS, said the NHS has a long history of relying on doctors from overseas with almost 25 to 30 per cent of its medical workforce coming from non-UK trained doctors.

“The NHS is also investing in training its own doctors in the long term. In my opinion, this initiative will not motivate more doctors from India to go to Britain because India is growing and financially it is not that lucrative anymore in Britain. The NHS is looking at cutting down on overseas recruitment in the future,” he said.

Under this programme, the NHS has established training centres at major private hospitals in Indian cities such as Mumbai, Delhi, Nagpur, Gurugram, Calicut, Bengaluru, Chennai, Indore, and Mysore.

A lack of widespread awareness about the initiative has been noted. While hospitals in India have established training centres, the initiative’s publicity has been limited, leaving many in the medical community unaware of its existence. Bajaj attributes this to the conservative approach of British institutions.

Ajesh Raj Saksena, senior consultant surgical oncologist at Apollo Hospital, Hyderabad, said the initiative not only promises to mitigate the medical staff shortage in the UK but also enhances the skill set and exposure of Indian medical professionals.

ALSO READ-MENTAL HEALTH: NHS OFFERS TALKING THERAPIES

Previous Story

Netanyahu snaps back against growing US criticism

Next Story

Putin Warns of World War 3 in Victory Speech

Latest from -Top News

Modi Eyes Trade Deals in Maldives

PM Modi will arrive in Maldives on July 25 which would be the second and final leg of his two-nation visit, following the visit to the United Kingdom, starting Wednesday….reports Asian Lite

Russia Strikes Back at EU

The Council of the European Union approved the 17th and 18th packages of sanctions on Russia on May 20 and July 18…reports Asian Lite News Russia has significantly expanded its entry ban

PM Modi Due in UK

PM Modi’s visit to the UK, scheduled for July 23–24, comes at the invitation of British counterpart Keir Starmer and will be his fourth trip to the country….reports Asian Lite News Prime

Victory First, Then Peace?

Katz stressed the importance of meeting the war’s goals as set, primarily the return of all Israeli hostages and the surrender of Hamas….reports Asian Lite News Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said

US Brings Up Old Claim, India Pushes Back

US Raises Trump’s India-Pakistan Claim at UN; India Reaffirms Bilateral Stand…reports Asian Lite News The US brought President Trump’s May claim of resolving the India-Pakistan conflict to the Security Council, but New
Go toTop

Don't Miss

UK, France, Poland reaffirm support for Kyiv 

The priority for France was to “equip, support and help

Inflation accelerates to 40-year high as food prices rise

Faster inflation also fuels expectations that the Bank of England