The National Health Service (NHS) marked its 78th anniversary on 5 July 2026, celebrating its status as Britain's greatest post-war achievement. Central to this milestone is the recognition of the South Asian healthcare professionals whose fundamental, yet often under-recognised, expertise has sustained the service through decades of crisis and reform.
When founded in 1948, postwar Britain faced an acute medical staffing shortage. Successive governments recruited from the Commonwealth, drawing thousands of doctors and nurses from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka to fill vacancies British-trained staff could not meet. Early generations often took hard-to-recruit posts in underserved communities, keeping hospitals and GP surgeries functioning.
Today, this legacy shapes the entire system. According to the NHS Workforce Race Equality Standard, nearly half (48.7%) of trust doctors in England are from Black and minority ethnic (BME) backgrounds, with South Asian heritage doctors forming the largest proportion. Separate figures show Asian or Asian British doctors represent one of the largest ethnic groups among hospital doctors, with numbers rising across all grades between 2019 and 2025. They form the backbone of general practice, hospital medicine, psychiatry, emergency care, cardiology, oncology, research, and public health.
Similarly, thousands of South Asian nurses have provided vital care onwards, in community services, and in care homes since the 1960s, helping the NHS adapt to an ageing population.
The NHS remains heavily dependent on international recruitment; about one in five staff in England are non-UK nationals, and 36.3% of doctors are international nationals. Indian professionals represent the single largest overseas nationality among both doctors and nurses.
Leadership is also evolving. Professor Mumtaz Patel recently became President of the Royal College of Physicians—the first person of South Asian heritage to lead the 500-year-old institution.
However, systemic challenges persist. While 26.4% of the workforce comes from a BME background, representation drops sharply at senior management levels. Data continues to show disparities in promotion, career progression, and experiences of workplace discrimination.
Ultimately, the history of the NHS is inseparable from the generations of South Asian workers who continue to shape patient care, education, research, leadership, and health policy.
-------------------------
“My journey has been shaped by the generations of British Asian doctors who came before me”
For Dr Harnek Kailey, the NHS is both a professional calling and a personal story. He reflected on the service's impact on his family, his career as a GP, and the legacy of British Asian doctors.
Speaking to Asian Voice, Dr Harnek Kailey said, “As a South Asian GP, I feel proud to have grown up in a country with access to a healthcare system as renowned as the NHS. Some of my earliest memories are of seeing the NHS care for my grandparents as they navigated their own illnesses with cancer, diabetes and heart disease. Watching the compassion, expertise and dedication of NHS staff during some of the most challenging times in my family's life left a lasting impression on me. I have so much to thank the NHS for, and it means a great deal to now be able to give back to the very service that cared for those closest to me.”
“From my years of training in Bristol and then London, through to working as a GP today, it has been a real privilege to serve my local community. I care for many South Asian patients, and there is something especially meaningful about supporting people from your own community. We know that conditions such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes and high cholesterol disproportionately affect South Asian communities, and they are diseases that have also touched my own family. Beyond diagnosing and treating these illnesses, its our role to help our community better understand their health,” he added.
Dr Kailey also reflected on his own journey saying, “My own journey has also been shaped by the generations of British Asian doctors who came before me. Many arrived in the UK at a time when the NHS was facing significant workforce shortages, leaving behind their homes and families to help build the service we know today. Today, I see that story continuing to evolve. British Asian doctors are not just part of the workforce but are increasingly becoming leaders, educators, researchers, and advocates in the health industry. We are helping to shape conversations around health policies, representation, and education. I hope we continue to inspire the next generation, champion health education and prevention, and empower our communities for years to come.”