The scandal of not training enough medics only to steal them from needier countries
This week we published new research showing that nearly half of all the doctors joining the NHS in 2022 came from overseas. Also revealed was the number of applicants rejected from medical courses in Britain. This is from the paper:
“In 2022, there were 19,235 UK applicants to study general medicine, a 25 per cent increase on 2020. Of these, 9,050 were accepted onto courses while 10,185 were turned away.”
Our medical services have become increasingly dependent on overseas trained medical staff, often importing them from countries with a far greater need for doctors, nurses, midwives and just about every other medic. This is shameful, not least because it is happening when perfectly able, aspiring health professionals here in Britain are being rejected. This new research shows how addicted to overseas-trained, invariably cheaper, medical staff we have become.
Here are the main takeaways from the paper:
• 45 per cent of doctors joining the NHS in England in 2022 came from overseas
• In England, the number of overseas doctors to join the NHS was 50 per cent more than the number of students projected to enrol in a medical training course in 2022
• Over 10,000 medicine applicants were rejected in 2022. If even half had been taken on, the number of foreign doctors to join the NHS would still outnumber new medicine trainee enrollees by 133
• The government could instantly increase medical training capacity for British students by at least 1,500 places per year at a cost of about £427 million
You can view the full paper here.
Blog of the week
This False Claim Drove The Government To Vastly Weaken Study Visa Rules, With Shocking Results
Basing policy decisions on distorted data and a false premises can have far-reaching and damaging consequences. Specifically, we are referring to the false narrative that has taken hold, encouraged by the powerful higher education lobby, that 97% of overseas students depart after graduating. This is completely misleading. Four in ten overseas students (130,000 people in 2018/19) either extend their permission to remain in the country or are not identified as leaving on time. This is according to the Office for National Statistics. Read the full blog here.
Migration Watch in the news
The Times: NHS hires more foreign doctors than total medical school intake
‘That the government have failed to increase the number of funded training places while demand has grown is nothing short of a dereliction of duty.
‘It is one thing to recruit foreign doctors to fill short-term needs, it is another to rely on them long-term instead of training up future doctors here in Britain, and now we’re hiring more doctors from overseas than we’re bothering to train.’
You can also see this reported in the Daily Mail here.
Here are some reactions to the week’s news:
BBC: Barge to house 500 male migrants off Dorset coast, says government
‘We give the government their due in their attempts to bring down the cost of housing asylum seekers. What it won’t do is discourage people from jumping into dinghies to cross the Channel illegally. How long will illegal crossers be kept on the boat? Will they be removed if they are denied entry? Will they be able to leave the boat and spend their £40 allowance? Only detention, speedy clearance and early removal will stop the boats.’
‘We can only commend the Home Secretary for once again showing her understanding of British voters. Will she now persuade the rest of her cabinet colleagues? Will the government have the gumption to see in the policies needed to stem the flow of out-of-control immigration? We can but hope.’
Telegraph: Councils to be paid £3,500 per migrant to house them on barges
‘The government would do better to detain, speed up processing and remove illegal entrants. This would act as a more powerful deterrent. The additional payment to councils is no more than acceptance of continuing failure.’
Make your voice heard
Well done and thank you to all those who have contacted their MP and demanded tougher action on border control. Yes, the inevitable brickbats and abuse from open borders zealots can be tiresome. Accusations of racism and xenophobia at the mere mention of firm border control and lower immigration are of course irksome and even hurtful. What such mindless abuse won’t do is stop us from speaking out against the harm mass immigration wreaks. That is what our supporters would expect.
If you haven’t already, please write to your MP today.
Finally, the Migration Watch UK team wish all our supporters a Happy and Blessed Easter.