Doctors’ leader calls for support for overseas doctors left stranded after exams are cancelled

The chair of the British Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (BAPIO) has called for overseas doctors affected by the cancellations of exams that would have allowed them to work in the NHS to be given financial and emotional support, after many were left stranded and facing significant hardship.

The General Medical Council has cancelled exams in January and February for hundreds of doctors who qualified overseas because of the surge in covid-19 cases, saying it was the “only viable option” given the pressure on the NHS and reduced availability of examiners.

But BAPIO’s chair, J S Bamrah, expressed disappointment that the GMC seemed not to have learnt from previous “mistakes” when exams were cancelled during the first and second lockdowns. “We’ve had …