If you wish to respond to a paper or other item already published in the BJA, please go to the abstract/full text version of that item and click on the link "E-Letters: Submit a response to the article".
Electronic Letters to:
|
|
E-letters: Electronic letters published:
-
![[Read E-letter]](/icons/misc/sectionDOWN.gif)
Import of overseas doctors ?
- Vinayak Pujari, None (24 December 2005)
-
Response to Editorial II
- Venkata Ramana Alladi (5 September 2005)
|
|
|||
|
Vinayak Pujari, Unemployed None, None
Send letter to journal:
|
The Editor, BJA Dear Sir, I am surprised at the authors' comments that UK needs to import overseas doctors to fill the future consultant jobs. I wonder how reliable the author's sources are, and whether or not their conclusions could be misleading. The article emphasises the need for doctors and the increasing popularity of Anaesthetics in the UK. However, this year 30% of the local graduates will not be getting jobs. The jobs at all levels in anaesthesia are easily being filled by graduates from the UK. Over the past few years, overseas-trained doctors have faced immense difficulties in obtaining employment in the UK. Competition for House Officer and Senior House Officer posts is intense. 36% of overseas graduates who passed PLAB part 2 in June 2003 were still unemployed 6 months later. There will be significant number of anaesthetists in this group.The numbers for 2005 will be even worse. Further details on unemployment and competition for junior doctor posts are available on http://www.bmjcareers.com/juniorcomp and http://www.gmc- uk.org/register/default.htm. I came to this country with high hopes and false information about the job scenario here eight months ago. I have three years of overseas anaesthetic experience and I have applied for all the anaesthetics and intensive care jobs advertised in bmjcareers and other websites without any success. This fate is the same as faced my my fellow colleagues here. I believe that articles such as these in a responsible and widely read journal like BJA can give overseas doctors a misleading picture. I have made the decsion to return to my home country with a few thousand pounds in debt and with bitter memories. I hope similar articles would place any future manpower calculations in the perspective of a large numbr of presently unemployed overseas doctors in the UK. Vinayak S Pujari, Unemployed Anaesthetist, Southampton, UK Conflict of Interest:None declared |
|||
|
|
|||
|
Venkata Ramana Alladi, Anaesthetist None
Send letter to journal:
|
Editor- I am surprised and dismayed to read the editorial on ‘Careers in anaesthesia’.1 The authors have completely excluded and failed even to mention SAS doctors (Staff grade and Associate specialist doctors) who form a major section of work force in anaesthetics in NHS. It is a huge omission when careers are discussed at such a length. Even non-medical anaesthetic practitioners got a mention in the editorial! I wish to point out that according to RCOA (2004) census there are more than 1200 SAS doctor in anaesthesia and the numbers are increasing all the time. They are all committed to their careers and carry heavy work load. More than sixty percent of them have post-graduate qualifications and forty percent of them have English or Irish fellowships. Majority of them have more than ten years experience in the specialty. They provide first line cover for ITU’s, maternity departments and most of the out of hours work during the weekdays and weekends especially in district general hospitals. It is important to create appropriate opportunities to help those that have small gaps in their training to complete their training. More than seventy percent of them have only 12-18 months gap in their training and that too mainly of anaesthetics for some super-specialities like e.g., neonatal, cardio-thoracic and neurosurgical anaesthetics. This is not relevant for hospitals they work at. Besides, this can easily be improved by other methods, for example, organising day release courses, in-job training, competency based assessment or creating supernumery jobs and allowing them to enter SpR training at the appropriate stage so that they can complete their speciality training. This will help solve the man power crisis. It is common sense and more economical to use this resource than to look abroad for personnel to man the anaesthetics department. It is not only in the interest of these doctors but also the NHS to improve the career structure and terms and conditions of work. It is also sensible to create modular accreditation and train doctors to be independent specialists especially in district general hospitals. In most of the European countries it is already in existence and anaesthetists are trained in the individual organisations for four years and are given independent status. Contrary to what has been mentioned in the editorial there has never been shortage of suitable candidates either for SHO or SpR jobs at least during the last thirty years I have been working. Even now same mistake is made in not creating conditions for those who are enthusiastic and eager to have careers to progress in the specialty. The comment that the choice currently available to SpR appoint committees is limited is not true. I believe that managers and academicians should get together and find ways to train and absorb all those who wish to have careers in anaesthesia. There is no need to recruit non-medically qualified members to man anaesthetic services either. There are enough doctors locally as well as from abroad wanting to have careers in anaesthetics at present. It is important to have proper exposure to anaesthetics at undergraduate level as well as during foundation years. It is up to the College to make sure that it is a part of undergraduate curriculum. It is not difficult to inspire undergraduates to a specialty which has excitement and involves doing procedures and treats critically ill. It is time academicians and managers got together and created those opportunities for those want to have careers in anaesthetics. P.Hutton, G.M.Cooper Editorial II , Careers in anaesthesia, British General of Anaesthesia2005;95:284-6 Dr V R Alladi Tameside General Hospital Fountain Street Ashton under Lyne Lancashire OL6 9RW Alladis@btinternet.com Conflict of Interest:None declared |
|||