Bookmarkers beware: Bookmarks to pages other than the home page may not work after we change our server in April Editor's Choice | This Week in BMJ | Press releases BMJ No 7130 Volume 316 News Saturday 14 February 1998 Foreign doctors face increasing racism in Ireland A prominent Irish psychiatrist - who was also Ireland's first Indian member of the legislature - says that foreign doctors in Ireland are increasingly the targets of racist attitudes and attacks. Dr Moosajee Bhamjee presented a petition to the minister of justice last week based on comments he had obtained from 100 foreign doctors. A follow up survey by the Irish Medical Timesled the publication to conclude that there was "blatant evidence of discrimination" against doctors who are not from the European Union. Dr Bhamjee believes racism has increased in Ireland in the past year, fuelled in part by what he characterises as media led hysteria over a recent influx of asylum seekers and illegal refugees. In addition, Dr Bhamjee said that the introduction of an English language competency examination for foreign doctors has also upset non-EU doctors training in Ireland. He also singled out recent remarks from a leading medical academic that the English language skill of foreign doctors was poor, and probably so was their medicine. Dr Bhamjee said that patients are increasingly complaining that they do not wish to be treated by foreign doctors, despite the fact that more than 1000 non-EU doctors are effectively propping up the Irish health services. Dr Bhamjee's criticisms are significant as foreign medical students not only are actively sought by Irish universities but also fund an increasingly large part of the system. The Consortium of Irish Medical Schools, comprising the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Trinity College Dublin, University College Dublin, University College Cork, and University College Galway, recruit medical students in the face of intense international competition and bring more than £Ir10m (£12m) a year to the successful institutions. This is money, they agree, without which they could not otherwise provide some of the services and facilities now on offer through the medical schools. Foreign medical students pay as much as £Ir20,000 a year each in fees. Fatima Ibrahim, a medical student from Malaysia who came to Ireland two years ago, told the Irish Independentnewspaper last week: "When I first came the people were warm and friendly. But in the last few months, things have changed - the way people stare; I've even been spat at." Wendy Cox, director of the Irish Council for Overseas Students, agreed: "We are having more incidents reported to us of what appear to be racially motivated insults." Doug Payne Dublin Home | Current issue | Past issues | Classified ads | Career Focus | Feedback Collections | About this site | About the BMJ | BMA | Medline