The British Medical Association yesterday renewed its condemnation of ‘shabby’ and ‘unfair’ rules, that will cost many loyal overseas doctors their jobs.
Most of those affected are from South Asia.
The High Court recently upheld changes brought in by the government last year, which make it harder for non-European Economic Area (EEU) doctors to train and work in the UK.
The British Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (BAPIO) is appealing against the High Court ruling and has set up a legal fund.
BAPIO says the changes are unfair to those who have made sacrifices to come to the UK to train and start a career.
A BMA spokesman told News Line yesterday: ‘BAPIO is going to appeal and the Department of Health is going to issue clarified guidance on the status of doctors on the highly-skilled migrant programme.’
On 3 April 2006, the rules were changed so that only graduates of UK medical schools could qualify for the government’s ‘permit-free training’ scheme.
Shortly afterwards, the Department of Health tightened the guidance for trusts employing doctors entering the country on the parallel Highly Skilled Migrant Programme.
Chair of the BMA international committee, Dr Edwin Borman, said: ‘It’s meant that doctors coming from abroad have not been able to plan adequately with regard to their career.
‘Many have been stuck with big mortgages and no career prospects.’
Dr Nimit Shah, a locum registrar at Leicester Royal Infirmary, who arrived in the UK five years ago, said he is one of those affected by the changes.
Dr Shah added: ‘I won’t be shortlisted. I won’t be considered for the job.
‘Which means that I will have to go back to India or look for some other alternative.’
He said it is ‘taking quite a toll’ on himself and his family.
l A parliamentary answer has revealed that the Department of Health sold 89 properties to developers between March 2005 and 2006.
The value of property sales rose from £4.9m in 2004-05 to £345m in 2005-06, which included a £280m deal with English Partnerships.
The Department of Health claimed all proceeds were returned to the DoH’s capital fund for building new facilities or buying equipment.
l Meanwhile, as many as 23 out of 29 healthy living centres in Wales – set up to bring preventative health to some of the most deprived communities, and provide services like mother and baby groups – face closure due to lack of funds.
They were created five years ago with £18m of lottery money, which was matched by other public bodies.
A Welsh Assembly spokesperson said decisions to continue funding the centres should be made locally.
The £18m of lottery funding has now run out and many centres cannot find enough cash to continue.
The Big Lottery Fund has said it was never the intention to provide long-term funding.
