Doctor shortage concern expressed to UK immigration officials
May 19 2009 by Ranjan Chakraborty
The chairman of the British Medical Association Council, Dr Hamish Meldrum, has written to Alan Johnson, the Health Secretary, to express his concerns that changes to UK immigration policy active from 31 March 2009, may lead to a shortage of doctors in the UK.
Meldrum says that the necessity for a Masters degree in order to live in the UK on the Tier 1 UK visa category may prevent talented doctors from abroad from being able to work in the UK, as a Medical degree is classed only as a Bachelor’s degree.
The changes will affect medical students and student doctors who have been studying in the UK from continuing their studies past the two-year post graduate training programme. Therefore, student doctors who have been studying in the UK for up to seven years may not be allowed to work in the NHS or privately, after their studies.
The Department of Health has already admitted that current shortages in certain skills areas in the medical profession were caused, in part, by previous immigration policy changes. Meldrum is now calling for intervention from Johnson to prevent the problem from worsening.
See the latest Immigration News
