Today: 24 May 2025
18 March 2024
1 min read

UK to hire 2,000 Indian doctors to staff NHS

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…reports Asian Lite News

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 medicos 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.

Ravi Bhatke, 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, Calicut, Bengaluru, Chennai, Indore, and Mysore.

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.

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.

ALSO READ-MENTAL HEALTH: NHS OFFERS TALKING THERAPIES

Previous Story

Netanyahu snaps back against growing US criticism

Next Story

Macron says ground operations in Ukraine possible

Latest from -Top News

UAE bakery aid reaches Gaza

The convoy is a crucial component of the UAE’s ongoing humanitarian strategy under Operation Chivalrous Knight 3, which prioritises urgent food aid. A major humanitarian relief convoy has successfully entered the Gaza

Tech giants unite for Stargate UAE

This marks the beginning of a strategic partnership involving G42, OpenAI, Oracle, NVIDIA, Cisco, and SoftBank Group, all coming together under the banner of international AI leadership. In a landmark announcement that

‘Make It in Emirates’ boosts Dh11b projects

The event welcomed more than 122,000 visitors — a 20-fold increase over its previous edition — and drew participation from over 720 local and international industrial, financial, and technology entities. The fourth

UAE leads Arab health push in Genevaa

UAE Health Minister Al Owais highlights Arab unity at WHO Assembly, reaffirming commitment to global health, crisis response, and sustainable healthcare innovation for the future. The UAE underscored its regional leadership in

Will tackle terrorism together: UAE backs India 

The UAE reaffirmed strong support for India’s fight against terrorism during a high-level Indian delegation visit, highlighting shared security goals and condemning cross-border terrorism after the Pahalgam attack. In a powerful show
Go toTop

Don't Miss

Labour rules out changes to council tax bands

Current laws stipulate that any local authority wanting to raise

Pakistani dancer ‘ejected’ from UK mission for pro-Palestine slogan

Kermani said that she raised the slogan “Ceasefire Now” when