A vast majority of doctors banned in the past five years were trained outside Britain, new figures from the General Medical Council (GMC) UK revealed on Sunday.
The data obtained by The Sunday Telegraph using freedom of information laws, shows that three quarters of doctors struck off the medical register this year were trained abroad. Similarly doctors trained overseas are five times more likely to be struck off than those trained in the UK. The latest information also revealed that in total, 669 doctors have been either struck off or suspended by the GMC over the last five years. Only 249 were British (37 percent) while 420 (63 percent) were trained abroad – whereas one-third of doctors on the register were trained abroad, and two-thirds in Britain.
The figures show that India has the highest number of doctors who have been suspended or struck off the register with 123. Nigeria and Egypt also fare badly, each with 33 doctors subject to the measures since 2008. Pakistan is third with 32 doctors suspended while Eastern European countries account for 27 such cases. The country with the best record is Hong Kong. Despite having an average of 773 doctors working in the UK since 2008, none have been struck off or disciplined by the GMC. Similarly, New Zealand has had an average of 600 doctors working in Britain, but none have had those measures taken against them.
According to Telegraph, in recent years a series of cases have raised concerns about the competence and language skills of overseas doctors. Under the current system, British hospitals and medical agencies which hire doctors are not allowed to test the language skills of those from EU countries to seek if staff will be able to communicate safely. Until now, Britain has interpreted EU law as meaning that doctors who qualify in any of the 27 countries must be free to work elsewhere, without restriction. The British government has promised to change the law, so that doctors will have to prove they can speak English before they get work here, but the changes are bogged down in discussions in Brussels, claimed the British leading newspaper.
Under the rules, doctors from outside Europe have to take a test before they can work in the UK, but the GMC can refuse entry to those from medical schools which do not meet its official standards or those agreed internationally. From this month, all UK doctors will also have annual checks of their competence, under a new licencing system called revalidation.
Dr Umesh Prahbu, British International Doctors Association National Vice-chairman said he believed the reasons why overseas doctors are far more likely to be struck off were complex and varied. He said, “The UK National Health Service (NHS) is known for having problems with discrimination and racism and I think this is part of it.”
Dr Prahbu said other problems stemmed from cultural differences and communication problems, more than from differences in clinical training. Dr Prahbu, who trained in India, said the technical training was very similar to that in the UK, but it was more difficult to learn about the “softer” skills and ensure that patients felt treated with courtesy.