MUCH LEFTIST FOOT-SHOOTING RECORDED HERE:

The fleecing of many Third World nations of their best doctors and nurses is causing a “major emergency” in developing countries and the British Medical Association is calling on the British government to undertake some urgent action. Today in a joint statement both the BMA, and the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) warned that deaths in third world countries will increase if action is not taken now. In a "statement of principles" the organisations say that sound though billion-dollar efforts to tackle global health problems like HIV and Aids are, they are were being severely undermined by the skills drain from developing countries.

The NHS today relies on a seemingly unending influx of migrants from Africa, Middle East and east Asia due to problems recruiting and retaining indigenous home grown staff. The reasons are many fold but poor working conditions, an over reliance on bureaucratic styles of management and low morale within the Service are frequently cited reasons for low retention. Another less obvious factor is that many staff recruited from overseas see working in the NHS as a stepping stone to working elsewhere in the developed world, with the USA an attractive and sought after career move, thus a need to replace those that move on to bigger and better things.

Rather than address the fundamental issues, the Government’s short-termist policy of rapidly increasing the numbers of ‘front-line’ medical staff working in the NHS has led to large-scale recruitment from overseas. In 2002/03, over 40 per cent of the 31,775 nurses joining the NHS register were from abroad whilst in 2003, nearly three quarters of the 15,549 doctors who joined the register qualified outside the UK. The consequences for those countries in Africa in particular are of course easy to see with continued disease and suffering, high infant mortality rates and short lifespans.

In addition there has to be a serious assessment of the risk of communicable diseases brought in by those health care workers who have come straight from high risk areas of HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and Hepatitis B being of particular concern. At present there is no obligatory screening process carried out on overseas medical staff for these communicable diseases which leaves colleagues, patients and hospital visitors at significant risk of contagion. It is incidentally obligatory for domestic students to be tested for Hep B prior to admission to a British medical school. Migrationwatch have published figures, in turn reproduced from the General Medical Council which show that, in the years 2002/3 3,200 doctors and 1,300 nurses arrived from South Africa, where the HIV rate is 1 in 5. South Africa also has a high incidence of TB and Hepatitis B yet none of these recruits were tested for any of these communicable diseases. The same applies to nearly 500 nurses from Zimbabwe. In addition, nearly 4,000 doctors and 8,000 nurses were recruited from countries with high rates of TB.

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PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS WIDENS IN QUEENSLAND

By Darren Giles

Our public health crisis deepened yesterday as Health Minister Gordon Nuttall admitted he could not guarantee the state's hospitals are safe. Speaking after alarming revelations about Hervey Bay Hospital, Mr Nuttall was unable to reassure Queenslanders that medical incompetence had been contained. Mr Nuttall s comments came after health inquiry commissioner Tony Morris released a damning report into orthopedic services at Hervey Bay Hospital. The report, by two senior surgeons, identified two overseas-trained doctors whose surgical skills were "seriously flawed".

Mr Nuttall yesterday said he could understand public concern, but was assured by his department it was safe to get surgery at Hervey Bay Hospital. Asked if he could give the same commitment for all other hospitals, the Minister was hesitant. "I can only go on the advice supplied by my department", he said. "My department has advised me that to the best of their knowledge, things are operating in a proper manner. "I am not going to stand here and say that it is perfect - I can't say that. I can't give those assurances.

Mr Nuttall said the latest report was "disturbing" and that the commission of inquiry would investigate the findings. The Minister said the two doctors under scrutiny, Dinesh Sharma and Damodaran Krishna, continued to work under strict supervision at Hervey Bay Hospital.

Queensland Health received the report on May 6 but kept it hidden. Mr Nuttall denied a cover-up and questioned why the authors had not contacted Queensland Health last year when they first had concerns about Hervev Bay Hospital.

Nationals health spokesman Stuart Copeland yesterday urged Premier Peter Beattie to stand down Mr Nuttall and Queensland Health DirectorGeneral Steve Buckland. Mr Nuttall yesterday refused to resign. "I am not going to walk away when it gets hard," he said.

The above article appeared in the Brisbane "Sunday Mail" of May 15, 2005 but does not previously appear to have been made available online

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For greatest efficiency, lowest cost and maximum choice, ALL hospitals and health insurance schemes should be privately owned and run -- with government-paid vouchers for the very poor and minimal regulation.

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