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As Britain enters a heated debate over the hiring of foreign doctors, a project in the UK makes the argument thatÌýabsorbing refugee doctors into its National Health ServiceÌýwill bring hugeÌýbenefitsÌýboth to these professionals and to the country, which suffers from the lowest rate of doctors per head in Europe.

The Ìýoffers the chance of a new start for who have left their home countries in search of a better future, bringing with them their qualifications and experience.

"In 2017, I returned to to have my medical certificate from Ain Shams University in equated and get a license to practice as a doctor. The following year I resumed my studies in Damascus to specialise in general surgery, but it wasn’t long before I had to leave the country due to security problems. This was three months after I’d got married," Bara'a, a 31-year-old doctor from Dera'a in South Syria tellsÌýAl-Araby Al-Jadeed, °®Âþµº's Arabic-language sister publication.

Absorbing refugee doctors into the National Health ServiceÌýwill bring hugeÌýbenefitsÌýboth to these professionals and to the UK, which suffers from the lowest rate of doctors per head in Europe

Lincolnshire Refugee Doctor Project

"I arrived in the UK in August 2019, and it was almost seven months before I was granted the right to remain. I knew I was not allowed to work during this period, but as soon as I could, I started looking for organisations helping to get permission to start working in the UK. I actually found a number of these, all of whomÌýresponded positively to my questions, but I chose the Lincolnshire Refugee Doctor Project as they ticked more boxes, and what they provided suited my situation," Bara'a explains.

"For example, they sorted outÌýaccommodation for me and my wifeÌý(who arrived five months ago)Ìýand provided my basic necessities,"ÌýBara'a added, also explainingÌýthat to get medical qualifications equated in the UK there are three steps: an English language exam, a medical theory exam and a practical medical exam. He is currently at the second step.

He doesn't see much of a difference between what he studied in Egypt and Syria and what he is studying here, although, "here, the clinical guidelines are different, andÌýI find this a little difficult, for example, the way you deal with teenagers and different age groups."Ìý

He beganÌýworking around five months ago at the Diana,ÌýPrincess of Wales Hospital in Lincolnshire (East England)Ìýas a physician's associate;ÌýheÌýtreatsÌýpatients, although in a limited capacity and under the supervision of the consultant physician.

Home Office delays

DrÌýKhalil (30), a Kurd from Qamishli in Northeast Syria, says: "I am ready to work, but there are a lot of obstacles and no help is provided. Our circumstances as doctors don’t seem to be taken into account – this should be considered in order for us to get granted the right to remain in a reasonable amount of time."

Khalil speaks openly: "I have been living what seems a psychological battleÌýfor around a year –ÌýI am shocked at the Home Office delays inÌýprocessing my case at a time that the countryÌýneeds more doctors due to the coronavirus crisis."

At the moment he is studying around the clock and attending conferences butÌýis in a constantÌýstate of anxiety. However, he lights up when talking aboutÌýthe Lincolnshire project: "The project is excellent for refugee doctors and there is no other project in the UK like it. I myself am a witness to how refugee doctors are suffering after years of being here, wasting years before they manage to get permission to practice as doctors."Ìý

He points out that other organisations claim to help refugee doctors but "in realityÌýdon’t offer the necessary support".

I have been living what seems a psychological battleÌýfor around a year - I am shocked at how long the Home Office has taken to process my case at a time that the country clearly needs more doctors due to the coronavirus crisis

Brain drain from conflict zones

It is well-known that with the ongoing conflicts in countries like Syria and Iraq, a large number of highly-skilled healthcare workers including many trained doctors have sought refuge in different countries, among them the UK. In 2016, the British Medical Association's Refugee Doctor initiative had taken the registration details of 560 doctors who were refugees or asylum-seekers, and this has increased at a rate of between 15 and 30 each year, reaching approximately 680 in 2020.

Despite the fact that the UKÌýhas fewerÌýdoctors per head than any otherÌýEuropean countryÌý(one doctor per 10,000 patients)Ìýand this is leading to major problems, the government and other relevant bodies have failed to consider how to benefit from the skills of refugee and asylum-seeker doctors.

This is with the exception of a limited number of projects which have sprung up to support them and help them to qualify in the UK with the aim of investing their skills in the community. One of the most prominent of these is the Lincolnshire Refugee Doctor Project,Ìýfounded by retired doctor Andrew Mowat in 2016, in cooperation with the British Medical AssociationÌýand British charitable organisations.

This project aims to provide support and employment of refugee doctors, as well as tackling the lack of NHS doctors in the region. It also seeks to raise awareness in NHS trusts of the importance that they benefit fromÌýavailable resources and talentÌýin the UK, which are currently being wasted because these refugee doctors are not receiving the support they need to start practising. Furthermore, the project has created a path for refugee doctors into employment in public clinics and hospitals, a process estimated to takeÌýaround 2.5 years.

A short film made by and the Syria Public Health Network, featuring LRDP member Dr Baraa Khrebeh. The film demonstrates how retraining refugee healthcare professionals can help fill gaps in healthcare left by Covid-19.

— Lincolnshire Refugee Doctor Project (@LincsRefugeeDoc)

Comprehensive Support

Ruth Ingamells, Director of Operations in the Lincolnshire Refugee Doctor Project, explains: “We support the doctors with everything, starting by providing accommodation, furniture and electronic equipment like computers. We also help them to take the English and medical examinations, which then lets them qualify to register with the general medical consultant and find work. We help them overcome any obstacle hindering them from qualifying to practice medicine in this country."

She clarifies: "TheyÌýdon't need to learn medicine because they are already qualified doctors. But the project teaches them how to practice as medical professionals in the UK. It also grants the opportunity to asylum-seeker doctorsÌýto join our distance-learning programme, instead of just wasting their time while waiting for a positive Home Office decision."

The cost of training a new doctor in the UK is £300,000 (around $420,000), while the total cost of training a refugee doctor to work in the NHS costs £25,000Ìý (around $34,800) - around 12% of the cost of training a new British doctor

On Lincolnshire, Ingamells says: "A lot of British peopleÌýhere disapprove when they hear about the project and ask ifÌýthe refugees are going to take their jobs."ÌýShe explains that the word 'refugee'Ìýcan carry a stigmaÌýamong some people which makes her angry. "Therefore, when we look for accommodation for the refugee doctors, we try to find suitable places where they won’t suffer discrimination."

The project points out that providing this assistance to refugee doctors saves a lot of money. The cost of training a new doctor in the UK is £300,000 (around $420,000), while the total cost of training a refugee doctor to work in the NHS costs £25,000Ìý (around $34,800) –Ìýaround 12 percentÌýof the cost of training a new British doctor. It also points out that the World Health Organisation (WHO) anticipates a global shortfall of 18 million health workers by 2030.

'We need them'

"The ongoing mass exodus of highly-qualified workers from Syria, Iraq and North Africa affects the ability of aid organisations and governments to offer humanitarian assistance to people," says Dr Adam Coutts, from the Sociology Department of Cambridge University.

He states that Syrian healthcare workers, as is the case with other immigrant professionals, are an educated workforce with highly specialised skills, and their experiences have important political, economic, humanitarian and academic implications.

He points out: "Failing to use the skills of thousands of qualified healthcare professionals is a massive waste, and many of them are finding themselves excluded from formal job opportunities and sliding into poverty in host communities in the Middle East and Europe."

"Failing to use the skills of thousands of qualified healthcare professionals is a massive waste, and many of them are finding themselves excluded from formal job opportunities and sliding into poverty in host communities in the Middle East and Europe"

Coutts also produced a short film, showcasing some of the success stories of refugee doctors who were able to start practising again. He believes that with more support through programmes like the Lincolnshire project, other doctors could return to practising their profession quickly. According to Coutts, "the integration of refugee doctors needs to be seen as a political priority in countries like the UK. The health sectors in the UK and all of Europe need these people."

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This is an edited translation from our Arabic edition. To read theÌýoriginal click

Article translated by Rose Chacko