Hundreds of Arab doctors who migrated to the UK to train and work in the NHS could be forced home, following a High Court ruling backing controversial new immigration laws that block overseas doctors from securing visas.
Under new rules announced last year, hospitals must prove vacant posts cannot be filled by EEA (European Economic Area) candidates before foreign doctors can be recommended for work permits.
The High Court’s decision, which comes in response to a legal challenge from the British Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (BAPIO), leaves many Arab doctors stranded.
Those who have applied for a training post must compete against EEA candidates, while those currently working in the NHS are likely to lose their jobs when their contract comes up for renewal.
Dr Ayman Hamade, assistant general secretary of the British Arab Medical Association, described the ruling as an “appalling, knee-jerk decision” prompted by swelling numbers of medical students at UK universities. “It is discriminatory and racist,” he told
Medical Times
. “The government has left these doctors high and dry. Many have moved over with their families to the promise of a job, and now they’re in limbo.
“In the past, the NHS has been built on the back of foreign doctors, and now they are closing the door and saying ‘Sorry; we don’t want you anymore.'”
The British Medical Association has publicly attacked the judgment. Dr Edwin Borman, chair of the British Medical Association International Committee, said: “The government’s recent treatment of overseas doctors has been very disappointing. They were given the impression that they’d be able to contribute to the NHS, and spend their whole careers in the UK, then the rules changed overnight and many were forced to leave. The failure of the government to consult with the medical profession meant that they had little opportunity to prepare to leave the country.”
Dr Andrew Rowland, vice-chairman of the BMA Junior Doctors Committee, added: “The government must learn lessons from this episode. It needs to undertake rigorous long-term workforce planning so we can be honest with overseas doctors about opportunities in the UK. If that had happened in the past then we wouldn’t be in this situation now.”
The absence of postgraduation opportunities in the Middle Eastern region has traditionally led to a high percentage of Arab doctors pursuing training in the UK; currently an estimated 6,000. Previously, Arab graduates could continue their education on a student visa; now they must apply for work permits, which will only be granted if no EEA practitioners are available.
Dr S. Rangaswami, dean of Gulf Medical College in Ajman, fears training opportunities for Arab doctors are rapidly drying up. Commenting on the ruling, he said: “The new rules will make a huge difference. A lot of our students seeking postgraduate education travel to the UK, and the visa changes will have a big impact on them.
“Until local opportunities improve, students will have to study abroad. It is very worrying that there is less and less chance for them to do so.”
While BAPIO has announced its intention to appeal the High Court’s decision with the backing of BAMA, Hamade feels the petition is unlikely to succeed.
“But at the very least, the doctors already in the system should be faded out rather than expelled,” said Hamade. “Those who have taken the PLAB exam, and have paid for that, should be allowed to work and recover the money.”
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