Thousands of Greek doctors living and working in Britain are sitting on pins and needles, following recent statements by the county’s State Health Secretary, Jeremy Hunt that the foreign medical staff employed in the National Health System (NHS) would be gradually replaced with British doctors. According to the OECD, the UK employs the most foreign doctors in its state health system out of all other EU member-states. A total of 83,000 foreign professionals work in British hospitals, 25,000 of which hail from EU countries. Greek doctors have a noteworthy presence in British hospitals, as it is estimated that 3,757 exercise their profession in the NHS, according to data from the UK’s General Medical Council (GMC).
This puts Greek medical professionals in the sixth spot of non-British nationals occupying medical professions in the NHS out of the top 20 countries of both EU and 3rd countries. Indian, Pakistan, Nigeria -all commonwealth states- and Ireland make up the top 5 countries that provide doctors to the British Health System. Britain has always a tip choice for Greek doctors, with the number of medical professionals spiking since the crisis hit Greece in 2010. Based on data from the Athens Doctors’ Association, 8,000 Greek doctors have left the country in the past six years, with the majority choosing to pursue their careers in the UK.
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