Three out of four doctors who have been struck off the medical register in the past two years were trained abroad
- Between 2013 and 2015, 130 of 176 of those fired qualified overseas
- If accused of poor performance doctors face tribunal and may be struck off
- In 2012 General Medical Council (GMC) vowed to act but little has changed
Three out of four doctors struck off the medical register in the last two years were trained abroad, new figures have revealed.
Between October 2013 and October 2015, 130 of 176 of those fired qualified overseas, according to Freedom of Information figures obtained by The Sun.
More than a third of doctors in Britain are foreign, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
New figures have revealed three out of four doctors struck off the medical register in a two year period were trained abroad
If they are accused of poor performance, doctors face a tribunal, with the most serious cases struck off.
In 2012 the General Medical Council (GMC) vowed to act when it emerged those who qualified overseas were five times more likely to be struck off than British graduates.
But the new figures prove that little has changed, renewing fears that foreign doctors are not up to scratch.
Last Feburary, Pakistan-educated Dr Mohammed Siddiqui was struck off after being found to be running an unregistered mobile circumcision service.
The 49-year-old carried out a string of bungled and unhygienic procedures - including one while a baby boy was screaming in agony because the anaesthetic had worn off.
In October, Polish heart doctor Tomasz Fryzlewicz was struck off after failing an English language test three times in just five months - despite having worked for the NHS for years.
To practise in the UK, doctors currently have to pass exams testing their medical knowledge and English language skills.
But a study published last year concluded that the pass mark was set too low – and insisted that foreign doctors who pass are not up to the same standard as newly-trained doctors in Britain.
Researchers at University College London and the University of Cambridge found that international graduates got substantially lower marks in exams for would-be GPs and physicians.
Foreign doctors must pass an English language test and the GMC’s Professional and Linguistic Assessment Board (PLAB) test, designed to ensure that overseas doctors demonstrate the same level of medical knowledge and clinical skills as UK graduates who have completed their first foundation training year.
Researchers said that raising the exam pass mark ‘considerably’ – by up to 20 per cent – would ensure both sets of doctors were of a similar standard.
But they also warned this would cut the pass rate and could cause a shortage of candidates for the NHS, which is heavily reliant on foreign medical staff.
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