Abstract
The NHS International Fellowship Scheme was launched in 2003 to recruit doctors from outside the UK to fill the shortage of doctors in the NHS. While the intended and stated primary purpose was to fill the service needs of the NHS, a secondary purpose appeared to be the opportunity the scheme would offer to overseas doctors to work in a ‘unique health care system’ (Goldberg, 2003). Doctors would be appointed at consultant level in the NHS for a maximum period of 2 years.
Highlights
The NHS International Fellowship Scheme was launched in 2003 to recruit doctors from outside the UK to fill the shortage of doctors in the NHS
By January 2003, a total of 123 consultant psychiatrists have applied and 26 have been appointed to the scheme (Goldberg, 2003). It appears that the scheme creates a win-win situation for all parties concerned, it fails to take into account one other affected party - the ‘donor’ country, from where the overseas psychiatrists would come
Pakistan’s population of 140 million and population growth rate of 2.3% are among the highest in Asia. It ranks 132 on the United Nations Development Programme’s Human Development Index (HDI), with a third of its population living below the poverty line
Summary
Population-based epidemiological studies show the prevalence of common mental disorders in Pakistan to be one of the highest in the developing world - higher even than developing countries with similar socio-economic indicators (Mumford, 2000). These figures range from a low of 25% (urban areas) to a high of 72% (rural areas) for women and between 10% (urban) and 44% (rural) for men (Mumford, 2000). Serious mental disorders like schizophrenia, estimated conservatively at 1%, would number approximately 0.5-1 million patients. The rate of severe learning disability is 1.5%, which is among the highest in the developing world
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