Medical bodies voice concerns over rise in foreign medics_794

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Medical bodies voice concerns over rise in foreign medics
It has been revealed that medical experts have voiced their worries over the growing numbers of foreign GPs in the UK used to cover weekend shifts.
A report exposed that GPs across Europe are flying into Great Britain to work on Saturdays and Sundays.
The increase is because nine out of 10 UK family doctors opted out of weekend work last year. As a result, medical leaders have stated that patient care is being compromised, because foreign GPs are unfamiliar with the NHS system.
As a result,You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login, medical negligence claims have increased due to incorrect prescriptions being issued to patients, along with unnecessary referrals to hospital.
Statics show cause for concern
When UK GPs gave up weekend cover, the number of foreign doctors from many European countries dramatically increased,You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login, according to the General Medical Council.
Medics from France jumped up by 41 to 150, the total number of German doctors rose from 383 in 2003 to 771 in 2004 and Italian doctors jumped from 245 to 308.
A major cause for concern is that any doctor within the UK wanting to practice has to register with the GMC, however doctors from the European Economic Area are automatically allowed on.
Dr Surendra Kumar, president of the British International Doctors Association and a GP, raised concerns about care.
"I have heard of doctors trying to charge for services which they shouldn't and inappropriate use of antibiotics. It is concerning and is simply down to the doctors not knowing about health care in this country."
Dr Peter Swinyard, a member of the British Medical Association's GPs committee, also stated that the rise is a worrying trend.
"These doctors are not familiar with the NHS and what we see is a tendency to refer on to secondary care (hospitals) and (bad) prescribing which we have to sort out on a Monday.
"This is very different from foreign doctors who come to work full time in the UK as they become familiar with the system."
Liberal Democrat health spokesman Norman Lamb, said: "The government completely botched the reform of the GP contract and failed to develop an adequate out-of-hours care system.
"Relying on doctors being flown in for a weekend shift is not a sustainable way to cover up minister's mistakes."
Dr Swinyard added by the time travel and accommodation expenses were paid,You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login, the cost of European GPs was double what it was for a UK doctor: "If they offered this to UK doctors you might get more doing it."
However, a spokeswoman for the GMC disagreed with the findings and said all doctors who were registered to work in the UK had the full medical qualifications.
And Dr Michael Dixon, who is a GP and also chairman of the NHS Alliance, which represents primary care trusts,You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login, said: "I don't think we can have it both ways. We can't say we don't want to do out-of-hours and then start complaining when someone else is doing it."
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