The government to has been urged to stop recruiting overseas health professionals and improve staff training in the UK, after a report blamed the UK for the collapse of health services in some of the poorest countries in the world
A Save the Children report on overseas recruitment accuses the UK of taking too many trained doctors and nurses away from countries where they are desperately needed.
Public sector union Unison said it was “shameful” that the UK is responsible for depriving children in some of the poorest countries around the world of basic healthcare.
“There is a global shortage of nurses and it is time for the UK to face up to its responsibilities as one of the richest nations in the world, and stop taking and start training,” said Unison general secretary Dave Prentis.
“We should start by increasing the number of training places available and learn some lessons from the 1970s when students were encouraged to come from Commonwealth countries to train in the UK. We should develop training opportunities for overseas students, pay their tuition fees, give them a bursary and increase the pool of trained health staff internationally,” he said.
