London: Indian-origin doctors in Britain are planning to meet Prime Minister David Cameron and seek his intervention over the "unfair" assessment of their medical skills.
The British Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (BAPIO) is planning to seek an appointment with Cameron over a recent study which claimed overseas doctors from countries like India were less competent than local medical professionals.
The study had been part of the evidence presented in court by the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) to counter BAPIO`s argument of a racial bias against ethnic minorities within the country`s medical examination system in a High Court case, which concluded earlier this month.
While the judge had ruled that the MRCGP qualifying exam in question was lawful, he had warned that "the time has come" for the RCGP to address differentials in the pass rates between white and non-white candidates.
"On the one hand, the government has approached BAPIO to help with recruitment of Indian doctors to plug the shortage in their emergency departments and on the other they refused to step in when such unfair claims were made on their competency," said BAPIO president Dr Ramesh Mehta.
"Indian doctors have been the backbone of the NHS [National Health Service] and we would expect a more fair approach from the government," he added.
A study by University College London (UCL) made public over the weekend claimed that half of?all foreign?doctors?in Britain do not have the necessary skills to work here and recommended a tougher test for overseas doctors, which include a total 88,000 medical professionals with Indian-origin doctors adding up to an estimated 50,000.
BAPIO has dismissed the UCL study as "an ill-advised statistical conclusion" that made "grossly misleading assumptions".
"The study did not compare like for like. It was almost designed to give foreign doctors a bad name rather than find a solution to problems. We have asked the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges (AoMRC) to work with us and start an independent review. Indian doctors also want the best for the NHS and a blame game will not help anyone," said Dr Mehta.
BAPIO has warned against a widespread sense of discontent that will put off Indian graduates from considering UK as a destination to gain advanced medical training.
This could have a major impact on the already struggling health service of the UK, which is coping with budgetary pressures and shortage of doctors.
"The general atmosphere is becoming really negative. I know of many Indian doctors who are planning to shift base to countries like Australia as they struggle with budget cuts. This kind of negative propaganda will only make matters worse," said a Mumbai-born general practitioner (GP) who practices in north London.
Another GP, Dr Sarit Patel, said he could be forced to close next year after being told his core NHS funding of 12,500 pounds a month was being cut by a quarter.
"We have got financial forecasts and we are looking at about 30,000 pounds to 35,000 pounds loss this year. We can`t pay the staff. I`m doing 50 to 60 hours a week. I`m here until midnight to do the admin. I`m seeing patients solidly through the day," he said.
Dr Chaand Nagpaul, chairman of the British Medical Association`s GP committee, said: "It is unacceptable that these practices, many of which serve deprived areas in east London, are left fighting for survival because the government has failed to take their circumstances into account."
"We are writing to the practices in London which are likely to be significantly affected, offering to meet with them to discuss their financial challenges and how we can support them," an NHS England spokesperson said.
