Foreign doctors' competence probed

My Account
Logout

Create an Evening Standard Account

Use your social network

Save time by using your existing account to sign in to Evening Standard

We'll never share your information or post anything to your account without your permission

Welcome! Sign in here

Use your social network

Save time by using your existing account to sign in to Evening Standard

We'll never share your information or post anything to your account without your permission

Forgot your password ?

Registration

* indicates fields that are mandatory

Email *

Password *

Confirm Password *

First name *

Surname *

Postcode *

Country *

Mobile phone number

Username *

Gender *

Year of birth *

When you sign up...

You will have access to all our online competitions, discounted offers and can post comments on our site.

You will also receive The Weekender newsletter sent every Thursday - it’s full of fantastic offers and ideas for the weekend. You can update your email preferences in your account page when you log in.

Other newsletters and emails

Homes & Property Newsletter - Yes I want to receive the weekly email with all the latest news on property in the capital

Occasionally we would also like to send you relevant emails detailing specific offers either from ourselves or carefully selected partners. If you would prefer not to receive these then please tick the appropriate boxes below. We will never pass on your details.

I do not want to receive additional offers and information from the Evening Standard

I do not want to receive additional offers and information sent by Evening Standard on behalf of carefully selected partners

Terms and Conditions

* I have read, understood and agree to be bound by the terms and conditions of Evening Standard

Registration

Mail Sent for Registration Confirmation.

A confirmation email has been sent. Please activate your account by clicking on the activation link sent in your mail box.

Three times the number of doctors who trained abroad were struck off the UK medical register last year compared with 2005, the Times reported.

The General Medical Council has commissioned a series of research projects which will look at a range of issues including the competence of foreign doctors and whether they are subject to institutional racism within the health service.

More than 5,000 cases were dealt with by the GMC in 2006, the newspaper said. Of these 303 resulted in a fitness-to-practise hearing and 54 doctors were struck off - 35 of whom had trained outside the UK.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown last month pledged to tighten checks on medical staff who trained overseas after three NHS doctors were charged in connection with the failed car bomb attacks on London and Glasgow.

Overseas doctors wanting to work in the UK face checks by the Home Office, the GMC and individual hospitals or trusts, including criminal record checks and identity checks.

But in many cases the system relies on information provided by authorities in unstable and even war-torn countries.

Paul Philip, director of standards and fitness-to-practise at the GMC, said: "The number of fitness-to-practise cases we deal with is going up year on year.

"Doctors with a primary medical qualification from overseas or within the EU are disproportionately represented and more are being refereed to us than we should see without good explanation."

A Department for Health spokesman said all NHS doctors were subject to stringent pre-employment checks.