The UK, especially England, presently, is battling a serious scarcity of skilled workers, particularly doctors. Still, much strangely, the government and those who matter do not seem much interested in removing the cap put on the intake of such health practitioners, for certain reasons best known to them.
The UK and the US seem to have similar views on immigration these days. Though both the hotspots could be suffering for want of the required number of skilled workers, thanks to their myopic views on immigration, they do not seem much perturbed.
However, the present alarming situation in the UK has worried many, including the National Health Service (NHS), which seems determined to convince the government to make visa laws easier and remove the cap put on the admission of such professionals. Maybe, it is because it is the NHS that has to suffer the most in the absence of the needed number of professionals.
In their efforts, they have succeeded also so far somewhat what with the in-office British Home Secretary, Sajid Javid, reportedly, stating that he would take a ‘fresh look’ at the controversial visa laws that restrict the figure of the foreign doctors, permitted to offer their professional services in the NHS, England.
Though one has still a long way to go, and the time has still not come to uncork the Champagne bottle, at least yet, in could be called a rather positive development, from the perspectives of the skilled workers–especially the doctors and health professionals, keen to work in the UK.
For those, who came in late, the controversial visa regulations have resulted in a large number of qualified doctors being stopped from offering their professional services in the NHS, even as nearly 50% of the GPs have openings in their practice.
Sharing his thoughts on the issue further, Javid, reportedly, proclaimed that he was in the loop and well aware of the problem and it was something that he was taking a fresh look at. He added that he was well aware that numerous of his colleagues wanted him to take a fresh look at the issue and that’s precisely what he was doing.
The development comes, post GP leaders last month, reportedly, issued the warning that the refusal of the British Premier to make the visa laws easier for trained foreign doctors was very worrying and would prove decisive and negatively impact patient safety.
According to the council chair Dr Chaand Nagpaul, it was crucial that the home secretary quickly acted with a practical solution, so that the NHS could hire the large number of obtainable foreign doctors who could start work at once, to ease the high pressure in a health service under mounting anxiety.
He added that the NHS may not survive minus the important contribution made by the doctors from abroad, and it was imperative that the administration put the requirements of patients first, via executing a flexible immigration strategy that enabled the NHS to draft the doctors required to serve the health requirements of the country.
Highlighting the issue further, another concerned person reportedly stated that several employers/job-providers failed to once more get certificates of sponsorship for health practitioners during May even as six months had already passed since the NHS first began facing issues, along with other segments.
He added that the NHS was fast approaching the major August intake and changeover period for many doctors in training even while a rapid, effective solution was immediately required, to clear the build-up, account for any increase in applications linked to the August changeover, and offer a workable approach to the management of the structure.
As per the available information, during the year gone by, the NHS boosted its goal for its overseas recruitment plan to 2,000 from 500 GPs, to counterbalance retirement. But, only 85 GPs from overseas were in post towards the close of March.
