Skip to content

This Site is Intended for Healthcare Professionals Only

Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Indian Medical Association rejects NHS recruitment offer over brain drain concerns

Indian Medical Association rejects NHS recruitment offer over brain drain concerns

The NHS is driving an initiative to hire 2,000 doctors from India on a fast-track basis to address the chronic staff shortage in the UK’s healthcare system.

The Indian Medical Association (IMA), the largest organisation of doctors in India, has refused to participate in the UK's National Health Service (NHS) recruitment drive aimed at attracting skilled doctors from India.


Reports indicate that the NHS is in the process of hiring 2,000 doctors from India on a fast-track basis to address the severe shortage of medical professionals in the UK, and training centres have been established across several Indian cities to provide them with postgraduate training.

After completing the training, these doctors will be assigned to hospitals throughout Britain. Additionally, they will be granted exemption from the Professional and Linguistic Assessments Board (PLAB) examination, which is a mandatory requirement for practising in the country.

However, IMA, which represents over 400K Indian medical professionals, has declined to participate in the initiative, citing concerns that the migration of skilled doctors could undermine the country’s healthcare system.

Dr RV Asokan, national president of IMA, told the Indian news channel, News18, that the apex body “is not interested in sending doctors abroad as it is against the national interest and will weaken the Indian medical system.”

“The NHS wants senior doctors who are already trained and skilled. We have politely turned down their offer.

“We would have been interested if the NHS would scout for young graduates from India. There was a mismatch in their demand and our needs,” he added.

On the state of the Indian healthcare system, Dr Asokan highlighted the alarming rates of unemployment among recent MBBS graduates in the country, and noted that IMA is focussing on advocating for opportunities for young medical graduates.

According to his calculation, India is projected to have over one million unemployed doctors within the next decade from the 706 medical colleges.

In contrast, in the UK, doctors trained overseas make up 25-30 per cent of its NHS medical workforce. The shortage of doctors in Britain is linked to various factors, including low wages, expensive training, and burnout due to heavy workload, with Brexit further aggravating the situation.

More For You

A woman using a period tracker app

Cambridge University academics have flagged concerns over the safety of period tracker apps

Pic credit: iStock

Users of period tracking apps face privacy, safety risk, say experts

The report said the apps provide a "gold mine" of data for consumer profiling and warn that in the wrong hands it could pose a safety risk

CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY academics have flagged concerns over the safety of period tracker apps and warned that the women using them could face privacy and safety risks.

Keep ReadingShow less
Patients to get test results via NHS app

An investment of £50m has been made to upgrade the NHS app

Patients to get test results via NHS app

Millions of patients will now be able to access test results and get appointment reminders on their smartphones as the government tries to position the NHS app as the default mode of communication and steer away from traditional methods like letters.

An investment of £50m has been made to upgrade the NHS app and the health service hopes to save £200m over the next three years.

Keep ReadingShow less
Health minister assures House of Lords on measures to tackle UK-wide Creon drug shortage

Baroness Merron

Government taking steps to mitigate shortage of cancer drug Creon

Baroness Merron on Monday (9) assured the House of Lords that the government is taking measures to mitigate the shortage of pancreatic cancer drug Creon across the country.

Raising the issue, Baroness Margaret Ritchie wanted to know about the steps being taken by the government to ease the misery of patients suffering from pancreatic cancer.

Keep ReadingShow less
Janet Morrison: "Eventual outcome of spending review needs to tackle pharmacy underfunding"

Janet Morrison

Janet Morrison: "Eventual outcome of spending review needs to tackle pharmacy underfunding"

Community Pharmacy England (CPE) chief executive Janet Morrison has welcomed chancellor Rachel Reeves announcement today that day-to-day spending on the NHS will increase by £29bn a year but insisted that it must reflect in securing the future of pharmacy.

Reeves also revealed that the government will be increasing the NHS technology budget by almost 50 per cent, with £10bn of investment to "bring our analogue health system into the digital age, including through the NHS app".

Keep ReadingShow less
Lynsey Cleland named GPhC chief standards officer

Lynsey Cleland

Pic credit: X

Lynsey Cleland named GPhC chief standards officer

The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) has brought back Lynsey Cleland to lead on a number of important departments in the role of chief standards officer.

Cleland had previously held a number of senior positions at GPhC, including director of Scotland.

Keep ReadingShow less