UK’s NHS Chooses Indian Doctors to Address the Staff Shortage Crisis
Healthcare services are incredibly important in every country throughout the world. These services help to ensure patients get access to doctors and specialists, with the goal of improving their quality of life and reducing symptoms. At the same time, these doctors can help to detect disease and provide treatment, ultimately lengthening the lifespan of the average patient.
However, in the last few years, the United Kingdom has been experiencing a growing crisis. There’s a shortage of staff that the National Health Services (NHS) can position in hospitals throughout the U.K. However, India has stepped in. The NHS will now get Indian doctors to help fill this shortage to ensure the country can continue to deliver exceptional services to patients.
The Rise of NHS Staff Shortages in the UK
Recent reports have shown that in England, there are less than three doctors available for every 1,000 people who live in the country. This is well below the national average, which was already considered to be on the lower side previously.
Researchers also found that about 7.2% of medical posts are currently vacant in the UK. The figure is even higher when looking at nursing positions, with 10.6% remaining vacant. This means there are thousands of job openings available, which further proves the point that the UK is facing a shortage of qualified medical staff to fill these positions.
One publication also warns that the crisis could get much worse than it already is. According to this report, by the year 2036, the UK may face a crisis where they have a shortage of more than half a million staff members in the medical sector.
The chief executive of NHS, Amanda Pritchard, shared her opinion on the matter. She mentioned that in the 25 years that she has been working for the NHS, she had never seen a greater level of pressure within the organization. While they have implemented a number of strategies, such as increasing the number of call handlers and getting more beds available in hospitals, these are not solutions to the crisis at hand.
In one study, researchers wanted to see how many practicing physicians there were per 1,000 people who lived in each country. It was quite surprising for many to see the UK ranking 21st on the list.
NHS Recruiting Medical Staff From India
The NHS has been implementing several strategies to help with the current crisis on hand. However, due to the fact that there is a staff shortage and thousands of open vacancies throughout the UK, they had to start looking at bringing in doctors from overseas.
This isn’t a new strategy for the NHS, as a large percentage of their doctors are from abroad. This time, the NHS turned to India as a way to get a total of 2,000 new doctors into the country within the next year.
The NHS has agreed to implement training centers in various cities throughout India. This would give those who have graduated a chance to opt for a postgraduate program in the country. The idea is to have these doctors complete the postgraduate training in a period between six months and a year.
To “fast track” the process, the NHS has also decided that any doctor who is part of this program will not need to complete the Professional and Linguistic Assessments Board exam, also known as the PLAB exam. Since this would increase the time it takes for a student to get on track to go over to the UK, removing this requirement would make the program more efficient.
When the NHS first announced this new initiative to address the staffing crisis in the UK health system, some people had concerns. One of the major concerns was the impact that recruiting Indians would have on the health system in India.
However, medical professionals from India said that this should not be a concern, as the country produces many more doctors annually than the 2,000 that will be recruited by the NHS. It is not uncommon for Indian doctors to seek experience abroad, so this would give them the opportunity to do so. Thus, India rather sees this as an opportunity.
A Mutually Beneficial Initiative
The decision from the NHS to recruit doctors from India holds benefits for both parties.
The NHS will be able to use the initial 2,000 doctors to help address the acute crisis that the country is facing at the moment. However, there are also major benefits for doctors from India who decide to apply for the program.
These doctors will gain valuable experience when they decide to complete the post-graduate program that the NHS now presents at various locations in India. Apart from experience, it also gives Indian doctors an opportunity to get exposure outside of their country, which can open up new opportunities for these medical professionals.
By removing the requirement for the PLAB exam, the NHS is also bridging a gap that has been an obstacle for some doctors who had an interest in moving to the UK from India while continuing to serve as a practitioner. This helps Indian doctors enter the medical market as employees within the NHS and UK faster than before.
Conclusion
With an emerging crisis in the UK, the country’s healthcare system faces a major staff shortage. However, thanks to efforts by the NHS, it now seems like India might be the solution.
According to official sources, a total of 2,000 doctors will be recruited from India to work in healthcare settings throughout the UK. While there is some controversy about this move from the NHS, it remains a good temporary solution for providing better healthcare services to people in the UK.
