BMA warns of young doctors exodus

26 Apr 07
Taxpayers could lose millions of pounds if thousands of junior doctors join an exodus overseas, the British Medical Association said this week.

27 April 2007

Taxpayers could lose millions of pounds if thousands of junior doctors join an exodus overseas, the British Medical Association said this week.

It costs up to £250,000 to train a doctor from entry into medical school to full registration, though the full cost will be higher, as most doctors continue training for several years after registration.

But the BMA warned that the controversy over the new medical training application scheme had dented many junior doctors' confidence in the NHS and many were planning to work abroad.

A BMA survey of 648 applicants found 55% would seek a training opportunity overseas and complete their whole training there if their MTAS application failed – 4.5% said they already had offers to go overseas. The BMA said this would keep them out of the NHS for at least five years and in many cases for their whole careers.

'The NHS could lose thousands of its best young doctors simply because of poor planning. It's unfair on them, it's unfair on their patients, and it's unfair on the taxpayers who've funded their training,' said BMA junior doctors' leader Jo Hilborne.

She demanded a meeting with the health secretary to win a guarantee that no junior would miss out on training because of the introduction of the MTAS.

The Department of Health said it was normal for many juniors to seek training opportunities overseas before returning to the NHS.

'There are many options open to applicants who do not secure a training place, including trust grade posts in the NHS, locum work, or spending a period of time working outside the NHS,' a spokeswoman said.

Prime Minister Tony Blair, commenting on the survey, insisted: 'We doubled the investment in training, so whereas for years before we came to power there was a shortage of doctors and nurses, now we are in a situation where actually we've got nurses and doctors that we need.'

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