During a recent visit to the Nazi Concentration and extermination Camps in Poland, Dr Indranil Chakravarty MBE, Chair of the BAPIO Institute for Health Research, witnessed the atrocities committed by the SS Guards and the unethical experiments conducted by doctors on inmates and Jewish prisoners. Reflecting on this experience, he said,“It brought home why Health for All by 2020 was the ambition of the World Health Organisation when it was set up in 1952, rising from the global destruction that ensued from World War II. A few years after the end of the war, the UK National Health Service was established with the vision of universal health for all by Aneurin Bevin,” Dr Chakravarty told Asian Voice.
Dr Chakravarty highlighted the historical connection between British-style medical science and education with India, dating back to the establishment of the Bengal Medical College in Kolkata in 1836. He acknowledged that doctors from the Indian subcontinent and other Commonwealth colonies have been coming to the UK to practice medicine and serve the people for many years. However, he also noted the challenges faced by these "international medical graduates," including bias, discrimination, racism, and microaggressions from both the public and their colleagues. While many have come for a period and returned, there are currently over 50,000 doctors who are here to serve and dedicate their life’s work to these Isles.
According to him, “Such bias and discrimination are not unique to the NHS and do exist in all public institutions, so I guess doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals are not special. Overall, the NHS has 22% of its employees from overseas, representing over 200 nations and 45% of its doctors, so not an insignificant number. While it costs around £250k to the public purse to train a doctor in the UK, the international medical graduates come free to the NHS, causing a significant drain and loss to the countries and healthcare systems that trained them. The countries in the Indian subcontinent have the lowest number of doctors-to-patient ratios in the world, despite training over 65k medical graduates each year. The numbers for nurses from overseas including Ireland, Spain, Philippines, West Indies and India is no different, perhaps worse as they are mostly silent.”
Organisations such as the British Association of Physicians of Indian Origin which celebrated its silver jubilee in 2022 and the newly formed British Indian Nursing Association serve an important purpose. In addition to providing a voice to the healthcare professionals from the Indian subcontinent, they are here to aspire to excellence in healthcare, providing leadership opportunities but most importantly to level up, and tackle injustice and inequalities that plague the health of people from minority ethnic backgrounds. Working within and with the NHS, BAPIO, BINA and 52 other minority representative organisations that form the Alliance for Healthcare Equality provides NHS leaders and regulators with a conscience, acting as a critical friend and guiding them towards equality and justice for all.
“The NHS at 75 years would not exist if the contribution of the international graduates was not recognised and acknowledged, by the leaders but most crucially by the public they serve. Looking forward, to the next 75 years, we need better relations with home countries and a global healthcare migration strategy that is sustainable and mutually beneficial,” the BAPIO Chairperson signed off.
At the UK-India Week 2023, Sir Keir Starmer, leader of the Labour Party said that “we need to have the ambition to create the NHS of the future.” “We need to be in the prevention space much quicker, and community based health. I think this is a journey we've gone through the first 75 years with great contribution from the Indian community here and we will go through the next 75 I'm sure with that same contribution,” Starmer said.
The most diverse workforce in Europe
As the NHS turns 75, Dr Nikita Kanani MBE, GP, St John’s Medical, Director of Clinical Integration, NHS England, Deputy SRO, NHS Covid-19 Vaccination Programme told Asian Voice, “Our NHS is unique, we are 1.6 million strong, 350 professions and disciplines, people from all walks of life, backgrounds and different nationalities. The history of the NHS is that of diversity – from 1948 to today, the NHS has welcomed talent from around the world.
“The NHS Long Term Workforce Plan, launched last week, sets out how we will retain more of the staff we have and reform the way that they train and work over the next 5, 10 and even 15 years, so we make the most of the experience and expertise of our staff. We know many of the people who will be working in the NHS in 15 years are already working here today and we need to nurture that talent.
“Many colleagues have spent a lifetime working in the NHS. Like my parents, who I am proud to have followed in the footsteps of. They came to the UK, as a refugee and a migrant, and went on to serve the local community as pharmacists for nearly 45 years.
“Our workforce today is more diverse than at any point in its 75-year history; almost 8 in 10 of our workforce are women, we have more people from an ethnic minority background than ever before, more people with a disability or living with long term conditions, people of different faiths or none, and people of different sexual orientations.
“Across the NHS in England, ethnic minority colleagues make up almost a quarter of staff working in NHS trusts. They represent 42% of our doctors, dentists and consultants and almost 30% of our nurses, midwives and health visitors. This fact makes us the most diverse workforce in Europe.
“There will always be a place in the NHS for colleagues from around the world. Our medics, nurses, midwives, health visitors, allied health professionals, pharmacists and all my colleagues across the 350 different professions in the NHS make it what it is today. And the last few years have been some of the most challenging the NHS has ever faced, but our incredible workforce has continued to deliver for our patients.
“As we celebrate 75 years of the NHS, I would like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to our colleagues who came before us; in the wake of the Second World War and amid national labour shortages. They were incredible men and women from India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and other “South Asian countries who came to help staff and grow the NHS. Many more have followed over the years, and to those who continue to follow in their footsteps, your contributions are immeasurable. I am honoured to work alongside you all; from those who grew up in NHS families to those who came to England more recently to pursue a career in medicine and healthcare.
“To face the future with confidence, we must continue to do more to retain our valuable workforce and continue to attract talents from diverse backgrounds. In an ever-evolving society, we must continue to adapt to meet the ever-changing needs of our patients and service users, value and appreciate those who serve in our NHS. In the words of Mahatma Gandhi, “the best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”
Medical research projects are nothing without the hard work and dedication of ethnic minorities
Arri Coomarasamy OBE, Professor of Gynaecology at the School of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, who has been honoured in King’s honours this year in recognition of his work in helping women and families through his research said, "Our research and thousands of other medical research projects would be nothing without the hard work and dedication of their teams and the many ethnic minority doctors, researchers, and healthcare professionals within them. I was proud to join the NHS after moving to the UK from Sri Lanka in my teens and continue to take great pride in the care I and my colleagues provide to women.
“Our team is dedicated to changing the statistic that, globally, one mother dies during childbirth every two minutes. We have made great strides in defining new treatments for miscarriage and making them more accessible, leading to changes in NICE guidelines for miscarriage. This has made safe and effective medicines available to many thousands of women and could help prevent 8,450 miscarriages a year in the UK.
“In May of this year, we published our landmark E-MOTIVE trial which tested effective interventions to manage childbirth-related haemorrhage in low- and middle-income countries and showed a phenomenal 60% reduction in severe bleeds and deaths. This new approach could have a radical effect on reducing the currently shocking number of 70,000 deaths from postpartum haemorrhage each year.
“We’re immensely proud to have made a real impact on childbirth-related deaths through our research. It’s also truly wonderful to celebrate 75 years of the NHS and the incredible contributions of those who work in it and to recognise the immense talent and hard work that Asian, Black, and ethnic minority workers bring to our health service."
Ethnic minority staff make up 49.9% of hospital and community health services doctors
Professor Prokar Dasgupta OBE, Professor of Surgery, King’s College London, King’s Health Partners who has been awarded by the King for services to surgery and science spoke to us and said, “Ethnic minority doctors have made huge and sustained contributions to the NHS. Ethnic minority staff make up 49.9% of hospital and community health services doctors. As Professor of Surgery at King’s College London, King’s Health Partners, I had the great privilege of pioneering robotic surgery 20 years ago. With new robots coming to the market the machines are going to get more affordable. We have recently received a large grant to develop an ecosystem called Responsible AI UK which is expected to have a significant benefit for the NHS and the wider society in the future. I am humbled to be awarded the OBE in the historic first birthday honours list of King Charles III and the Padma Shri from the President of India. These accolades belong to our team for making significant and lasting contributions to surgery and science.”
An estimated 3.3% of the 1.4 million NHS workers from Muslim background
A spokesperson from Muslim Council of Britain told the newsweekly, “The NHS has a diverse workforce, with an estimated 3.3% of the 1.4 million NHS workers being from a Muslim background. It is this diversity that has historically proven to be a great strength, contributing to the very existence of this great institution, and sustaining it in times of crisis. Indeed, the pandemic is a foremost example of the formidable capacities of the NHS and the sheer ability, dedication, and sacrifice of our healthcare workers in the face of extraordinary challenges.
“On this occasion, as we all celebrate our NHS, let us join together in supporting this vital institution and its workers so that they can flourish once again.”
BMA responds to NHS Long Term Workforce Plan
The first comprehensive workforce plan for the NHS, puts staffing on a sustainable footing and improving patient care. This is the first time the government has asked the NHS to come up with a comprehensive workforce plan; a once-in-a-generation opportunity to put staffing on a sustainable footing and improve patient care. PM Rishi Sunak said, “The NHS is nothing without its incredible staff. We are making sure they have what they need to deliver for patients not just today, but for decades to come.”
Dr. Latifa Patel, BMA Representative Body Chair and Workforce Lead, responded to the publication of the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan, emphasizing the urgent need for action. With over 100,000 healthcare vacancies and healthcare professionals experiencing burnout, Dr. Patel urged the government to implement the plan with a sense of urgency and ensure its commitment through legislation.
Labour’s London Assembly Health Spokesperson, Dr Onkar Sahota AM, said: “Most worryingly, this plan offers no solution to the current retention crisis which is facing the NHS. One in ten health workers are currently leaving the NHS every year with anxiety, stress and depression being the most reported reasons. Recruiting more nurses and doctors will make little difference if we lose the experienced professionals currently working hard to look after us. With the NHS approaching its 75th birthday the government need to do much more to address the needs of those currently working for the NHS who often feel undervalued and overworked.’’
Special service at Westminster Abbey to celebrate NHS 75th birthday
The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh will be joined by NHS staff, government leaders, and celebrities at a service in Westminster Abbey to celebrate the NHS's 75th birthday. Around 1,500 NHS staff and supporters of NHS Charities Together, including Mel Giedroyc, will pay tribute. Landmark sites will light up blue, a special 50p coin has been issued, and a photography competition winners' exhibition will be displayed. British sporting icons will also unite to express gratitude for the NHS on its 75th birthday.
