Want to be a doctor in Britain? Brace for tougher examinations - Times of India

LONDON: Indian doctors wanting to work in Britain will face a more rigorous assessment in future. This was decided by the United Kingdom's health authorities after figures showed a high proportion of doctors who lose their registration in UK are from abroad.

Almost 36% of all doctors practicing in the UK are from abroad, with the largest segment coming from India. Without them the National Health Service (NHS) would collapse. But in the last five years it was found that 63% of overseas doctors either struck off from the register or suspended by the General Medical Council (GMC) are qualified for the profession outside UK.

Dr Vivienne Nathanson, British Medical Association (BMA) director of professional activities, said, "It is clear that doctors qualified overseas are more likely to be subject to disciplinary action. However, more research is needed to understand why this is the case. The UK is still short of doctors and so we must ensure that those coming from overseas are given adequate support to be able to practice medicine in the UK."

The GMC's new reforms included an induction programme , better checks and a review of the present testing system. Niall Dickson, the chief executive of the GMC, said, "We absolutely acknowledge that when it comes to the serious end of the scale, those from overseas are more likely to appear, and we have set about a series of reforms to address this."

A pilot scheme of the new induction programme for all arriving doctors is scheduled to be launched in early 2013. This will combine online training in British medical practices with a one-day course covering some of the issues facing new entrants.

The Performance and Linguistic Assessments Board test for applying doctors will be made more difficult then present. The doctors will have to demonstrate their clinical skills and competence before they are accepted for practice in the UK.