Doctors and other medical people last week.
Apparently some changes the govt. is making to the status of foreign doctors means they may be forced to leave - ie any exams, work experience gained may not qualify them for permanent residency/medical status within the UK
His situation is similar with many others apparently, and he's NOT happy about it. He was headhunted by the NHS over in India in 2002. Apparently the NHS has a lack of anaesthetists (sp?) so over he came with his Pathologist missus summer 02. They were both specialists at their respective hospitals back in India, but here, becuase they have no UK experience, they were at 'junior doctor' level. Kick in the teeth no.1.
Kick in the teeth 2 - they both could only get temporary (locum I think theyre called) posts, kick in the teeth no3, it took his wifey almost a year to get a locum position! until then, she was only given UNPAID work (which i thought was just an absolute pi$$take!)
Respite from kicks in the teeth - they both got long term posts about 2 years ago.
Latest kick in the teeth - the govt. changes last week - mean that all this experience they've now been getting may amount to nothing as they may not be allowed to get another position here in the UK.
more details here -
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/16052006/325/foreign-doctors-facing-discrimination-bma.htmlSeeing as ALOT more of our family and friends who are Docs, Dentists, Peditricians, pathologists etc etc are in the US and Canada have been telling them to move over - this may be a blessing as I've often spoke to them about possibly moving over rather than staying here.
Spanner in the works is that they've now got a 6 month baby boy (he's a cutey!) and they thought of moving say in 2-4 years.
If I tell you some of the 'insider' info about the NHS these 2 and their numerous friends have observed - it'd be an eye opener!
This is a slight 'political' post I guess - but seeing as it affects Professional medical staff I thought to post here and because many US to UK movers regard healthcare quite highly on their reasons to move.
Overall - isn't it stupid for the govt to do this? on one hand there's not 'enough' interested UK born students/med students here so they let in foreign docs to compensate, now they say we'll only let in EU born ones instead. Fine you may say, but when my cousin says the 'quality' of care is reduced here in the NHS compared to what he's used to and he was not allowed to do med procedures he'd done thousands of times in India here because he 'had no UK experience' - isn't the NHS going to suffer even more because of it?
Guess I'm just venting after my cousin vented! - not trying to ruffle any feathers here - just discussing!
Dennis! West London & Slough UK!