More action needed to harness skills of refugee doctors, British Medical Association says
The skills of hundreds of refugee doctors are not being put to the best use, figures published by the BMA show today (Wednesday 16 June).
To mark National Refugee Week, the BMA is highlighting the contribution made by refugee and asylum-seeking doctors who are working, or trying to work, in the NHS. Nearly a thousand (955) have registered on the BMA's database of refugee doctors, yet only 57 report that they are practising. Although the BMA estimates that the actual number who have found work is higher than this, it is unlikely to be more than 150 (16% of the total number on the database).
Many of the doctors who are in contact with the BMA have refugee status, but have not yet passed the exams needed to practise in the U.K., often because they are unfamiliar with the system, or struggling to fund their studies.
Dr Edwin Borman, chairman of the BMA's International Committee, says that the NHS would benefit hugely if more support and training were made available to refugee doctors: "The skills of medically qualified refugees are badly needed and it's ironic that so many are unable to work. It costs £250,000 to train a British medical student to become a doctor, but as little as £10,000 to prepare a refugee doctor to practise. From August the European Working Time Directive will impose new limits on junior doctors' hours, making it even more important that the NHS makes the best use of refugee doctors."
Case history
One success story is that of Dr Shakiba Habibula, who came to the U.K. from Afghanistan to study in 1995. When the Taliban came to power she realised that she would be in danger if she returned, so she claimed asylum. Ineligible for state benefits, she vowed to find ways of working as a doctor and applied for clinical attachments. None of the 20 hospitals she wrote to replied, so she decided to concentrate on her studies in public health – funding them by working as a secretary, shop assistant, and receptionist.
Now she is working as a public health doctor – which she describes as her dream job. Dr Habibula says "When I look back I realise I could have been doing this job eight years ago but I didn't understand the system and there was no-one to give me advice. Refugees and asylum seekers come here with a wealth of knowledge and experience which they offer at no cost, yet they get hardly any support to help them get back to work and make a contribution."
The BMA welcomes recent steps by the Department of Health and the General Medical Council to give greater support to refugee doctors. However, it believes more could be still done. At the BMA's annual conference this month, there will be a call for fairer rules on visas and benefits, and measures to make it easier for refugees to find hospital attachments to prepare them for work in the NHS.
Click here for Dr Habibula's full story and another case history: (Dr Javier Pineda)
Hundreds of refugee doctors in the UK are not using their skills in the NHS because they do not understand how the system works or face funding problems, it emerged today.
The British Medical Association (BMA) said 955 refugee and asylum-seeking doctors were registered on its database.
But of these only 57 reported that they were practising in the UK.
The BMA said, while it expected the actual number who have found work to be higher than this, it was unlikely to be more than 150 - 16% of the total number registered on the database.
Many of the doctors on the database have refugee status but have not yet passed the exams they need to practice in the UK.
The BMA said often this was because they were unfamiliar with how the system worked in the UK or were struggling to fund their studies.
To mark National Refugee Week the BMA said it wanted to highlight the contribution made by refugee doctors working, or trying to work, in the NHS.
One doctor - Shakiba Habibula - came from Afghanistan to study in 1995 and when the Taliban came to power decided to claim asylum in the UK.
She applied for clinical attachments in 20 hospitals but none replied so she continued her studies in public health, funding herself by working as a secretary, shop assistant and receptionist.
Dr Habibula now works as a public health doctor in the Oxford Deanery.
"When I look back I realise I could have been doing this job eight years ago but I didn't understand the system and there was no-one to give me advice.
"Refugees and asylum seekers come here with a wealth of knowledge and experience which they offer at no cost, yet they get hardly any support to help them get back to work and make a contribution," she said.
Training
Dr Edwin Borman, chairman of the BMA's International Committee, said the NHS would benefit hugely if more support and training were given to refugee doctors.
"The skills of medically qualified refugees are badly needed and it's ironic that so many are unable to work.
"It costs £250,000 to train a British medical student to become a doctor, but as little as £10,000 to prepare a refugee doctor to practise,"
Dr Borman said from August the European Working Time Directive would impose new limits on junior doctors' hours, which would make it even more important that the NHS made the best use of refugee doctors.
The BMA conference in Llandudno, North Wales, later this month will hear calls for fairer rules on visas and benefits for refugee doctors.
Doctors will also call for measures to make it easier for them to find hospital attachments so they can prepare themselves for work in the NHS.
Refugee doctors could boost NHS staff levels
By Lyndsay Moss, Evening Standard
16 June 2004
Hundreds of refugee doctors are not using their skills in the NHS because they do not understand how the qualifying system works, or they struggle to fund their studies, it emerged today.
The British Medical Association said 955 refugee and asylum-seeking doctors are registered on its database, but only 57 say they are practising in the UK.
Many who have been granted refugee status have yet to pass the exams they need to practise here.
To mark National Refugee Week, the BMA wants to highlight the contribution made by those refugee doctors working, or trying to work, in the NHS.
Dr Edwin Borman, chairman of the BMA's International Committee, said: "Their skills are badly needed. It costs ?250,000 to train a British medical student as a doctor, but as little as ?10,000 to prepare a refugee doctor to practise."
Hundreds of refugee doctors in the UK are not using their skills in the NHS because they do not understand how the system works or face funding problems, it has emerged.
The British Medical Association (BMA) said 955 refugee and asylum-seeking doctors were registered on its database.
But of these only 57 reported that they were practising in the UK.
The BMA said, while it expected the actual number who have found work to be higher than this, it was unlikely to be more than 150 - 16% of the total number registered on the database.
Many of the doctors on the database have refugee status but have not yet passed the exams they need to practice in the UK.
The BMA said often this was because they were unfamiliar with how the system worked in the UK or were struggling to fund their studies.
To mark National Refugee Week the BMA said it wanted to highlight the contribution made by refugee doctors working, or trying to work, in the NHS.
One doctor - Shakiba Habibula - came from Afghanistan to study in 1995 and when the Taliban came to power decided to claim asylum in the UK.
She applied for clinical attachments in 20 hospitals but none replied so she continued her studies in public health, funding herself by working as a secretary, shop assistant and receptionist.
"When I look back I realise I could have been doing this job eight years ago but I didn't understand the system and there was no-one to give me advice," said Dr Habibula now works as a public health doctor in the Oxford Deanery.
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