2K doctors from India to plug UK’S NHS shortage

Some from industry raise risk of brain drain

UK’s 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 medical professionals 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.

Shuchin Bajaj, an internal medicine physician from Ujala Cygnus Group of Hospitals, stated: “This initiative wouldn’t affect India as 2,000 is a very small number and India produces over 110,000 doctors annually. This initiative, facilitated by NHS hospitals does not guarantee permanent settlement, but these placements can offer valuable experience.”

“This project is indirectly funded by the government because the government does fund a lot of NHS hospitals. The initiative is independent of government bodies like the National Medical Council and is solely driven by hospitals. The exchange of knowledge and expertise between India and the UK is expected to benefit both nations’ healthcare systems,” Bajaj said.

Ravi Badge, 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, Kozhikode, Bengaluru, Chennai, Indore, and Mysuru.

“This initiative of doctors leaving India can cause brain drain. Therefore, it’s important for the Indian government to address this by ensuring ample opportunities for locally trained doctors. This includes offering fair compensation that aligns with their skill level, allowing them to sustain their professional standards and uphold their desired lifestyle,” Badge said.

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.

“British tendencies toward modesty and conservative promotion contribute to the limited awareness of this initiative. Hence, this may explain why many doctors are unaware of it,” he said.

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.

“This innovative pathway, enabling doctors and nurses to join the UK workforce after 6 to 12 months of training in India without the PLAB examination, marks a significant stride towards global healthcare collaboration. Such programmes are pivotal in elevating healthcare standards globally, fostering a mutually beneficial exchange of knowledge and expertise,” he said.