House of Commons · Ten Minute Rule Bill
Doctors and Nurses (Developing Countries) Bill
17 November 2020
Proposed by Andrew Mitchell Con Sutton Coldfield
Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.
At a glance
Key points
- The Secretary of State would be required to report on a scheme for the UK to train two doctors or nurses in developing countries for each one recruited by the NHS.
- Andrew Mitchell is proposing his Doctors and Nurses (Developing Countries) Bill to address the ethical issue of NHS recruitment from developing nations.
- The bill aims to enhance the UK's reputation for international development and align with commitments to global health equity.
Issue summary
The statement discusses a proposed bill that would require the Secretary of State to report on a scheme for the UK to pay to train two doctors or nurses in developing countries for each doctor or nurse recruited from those countries by the NHS.
Action requested
Andrew Mitchell is proposing his Doctors and Nurses (Developing Countries) Bill, which aims to address the ethical dilemma of recruiting healthcare professionals from developing nations by compensating these countries through training twice as many medical personnel as are poached. The bill seeks to bolster UK's reputation for international development and align with its commitment to global health equity.
Key facts
- The UK has recruited doctors, nurses, and other healthcare workers from Sierra Leone (215), Nigeria (4,099), Pakistan (3,394), Ghana (1,118), and India (19,756).
- In Britain, there is one doctor for every 357 people; in contrast, Sierra Leone has 1.4 doctors and nurses per 10,000 people.
- The bill aims to ensure that the UK provides sufficient resources from its development budget to train two healthcare professionals in a developing country for each professional recruited by the NHS from those countries.