Britain to recruit more Indian doctors

Britain will change its tough immigration rules to recruit more doctors from India to stem the growing crisis in emergency departments in the country's hospitals, according to a media report.
Latest figures show that one in five Accident and Emergency (A&E) departments across the country has a shortage of senior doctors, with a national shortfall of more than 300 consultants, Asian Lite, a weekly for the British-Asians reported.
Figures show that trusts are spending about pounds 1500 (Rs 1,50,000) to temporary doctors a day to fill the posts in the A&E departments.
Senior National Health Services officials have drawn up plan to recruit 50 doctors from India at first stage, the weekly reported.

The Home Office has already agreed to relax rules on migration of medical workers.
Health Minister Earl Howe said that British medical students were choosing not to pursue a pressurised career in accident and emergency.

They opted for easier specialities like paediatrics and general medicine which let them take on more lucrative private work, he said.
At present, fewer than half of the 200 training placements for A&E consultants are taken up each year.
The overseas recruitment drive comes after ministers warned that the NHS will buckle under the pressure without decisive action.
Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has previously warned that more doctors are needed to prevent another Mid-Staffordshire scandal.

Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust was condemned for "appalling" standards of care after official inquiry found that up to 1,200 patients died unnecessarily between 2005 and 2009.
Howe told MPs on the Commons health select committee that there are too few GPs and accident and emergency consultants.
He said, "We were very conscious of this issue as far back as 2010. Part of the problem here is that it's not an attractive speciality for many trainee doctors. The lifestyle is pressurised, there are fewer opportunities for private work. It isn't a simple matter to expand the numbers."
"The numbers problem isn't going to [be solved] immediately, although one can look to bring people in from overseas. If we're going to have home grown accident and emergency specialists we are looking at a period of years before we can ramp the numbers up," Howe said.