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NEWS: Clare Dyer House of Lords rules against government’s restriction on foreign doctors BMJ 2008; 336: 1037 [Full text]

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The Uncertainty

Dr kamal Sidhu   (21 May 2008)

The Uncertainty 21 May 2008
Dr kamal Sidhu, GP Sunderland Send response to journal: Re: The Uncertainty	The House of lords ruling that declared immigration changes for IMGs as unlawful should serve as a lesson to the authorities.The changes were a political gimmick in response to the looming job crisis that resulted from poor workforce planning, job cuts and MMC fiasco.As a consequence, hundreds of families were uprooted.Many left the country to go back with their career hopes dashed and drowned in financial debts.Some had to compromise on their training which is unheard of for British Graduates.This second class treatment met out to Non EU Graduates did little to help the situation.Instead, it has created an atmosphere of distrust and uncertainty for IMGs.Furthermore, The department of health did not try to negotiate an amicable solution and kept pushing for appeals until it could do nothing more. On the positive side, the fight helped IMGs to demonstrate unity and put up symbolic resistance to unfair and unjust abrupt changes. No one disagreed that the system needed regulation but the way it was done is shameful for a developed country that has always stood for its values. I now think twice before even medium term commitments as I may wake up and find that I have been asked to leave the country because rules have been changed. I hope wisdom prevails. Competing interests: I am a overseas trained doctor not directly affected by these changes