Dr Khan is most likely to see you now

NEXT time you’re treated at hospital, chances are you’ll be thanking a Dr Khan. The Asian name is the most common surname of doctors registered in Britain, according to figures.

Patel – from the Gujarat region of India – was the second most popular, and Muslim surnames Ahmed and Ali also made the top ten list.

Smith and Jones featured on the list as the most common names of British origin. The rest of the list was made up by Williams, Davies, Thomas and Taylor.

But the list does not indicate where the doctor was born or trained. While many will have come from abroad, a high proportion of those with Asian surnames are likely to be the British-born children of immigrants.

For first names, the most common for male doctors are David, John and Andrew, while for they are Sarah, Elizabeth and Helen.

There are nearly 270,000 doctors registered with the General Medical Council regulator. Its figures show more than one third gained their primary qualification outside the UK, with the biggest numbers from India, Pakistan, South Africa and Nigeria.

Nearly 35,000 were trained in India and Pakistan. Since February 2012 there has been an 11 per cent increase of Pakistani trained doctors registered in Britain and Nigerian- qualified doctors have increased by 8 per cent.

There has been a 20 per cent increase in Bulgarian-trained doctors, and 17 per cent for Romanian-trained doctors. But overall the proportion of foreign-trained doctors in Britain has fallen slightly by 1 per cent over 18 months.

Britain saw an influx of Asian doctors in the 1960s and 1970s when the government invited medics from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh to solve an NHS staffing crisis. Since then many have come from other countries, particularly after Labour increased NHS funding from 1997.

But in recent years there have been concerns some may have poor language skills and less-thorough training. Foreign-trained doctors are also more likely to be struck off than British doctors. Last year 75 per cent of those struck off had been trained overseas.

Doctors from abroad must pass an English language test and the GMC’s Professional and Linguistic Assessment Board test, designed to ensure they have the same level of medical knowledge as UK graduates who have completed their first foundation training year.

Niall Dickson, chief executive of the GMC, said: ‘Doctors from all over the world have long come to work in this country and have in many areas kept the NHS going. We owe them a great deal. Our job is to make sure those who gain entry have the knowledge and skills to practise safely here.’