only and South Asian professionals speak fluent English and have never encountered any such problem.
The new Clinical Skills Assessment (CSA) exam and the rule of limiting the number of attempts was brought in September 2010 and applied to those who had started training under the old rules. Doctors can now take the exams up to a maximum of four times but the scandal is so serious that 300+ Asian doctors have been expelled in the space of 2 years over the new CSA since the change was introduced. Some of the trainee doctors who failed in these exams four times have been reported to the General Medical Council (GMC) for investigation, with the possibility that as they are classified as unsafe or dangerous doctors they may not work for 2-3 years even as a hospital locum while being investigated for failing CSA.
About 3,000 doctors a year take their final professional GP exams which is governed by the Royal College of GPs. A part of the exam is set in mock consulting rooms, 13 actors posing as patients, and trainee doctors are examined for their knowledge, ability to ask important questions and listen to patients’ needs.
Authorities have said that communication is the main problem why these trainees fail to become full GPs but the doctors dispute that and say that the ‘language’ is being used as a stick against them when the reasons are far more serious.
Figures released by the authorities show that of the foreign doctors taking the test, 63 per cent Indian, 62 per cent Pakistanis and 68 per cent Nigerian doctors failed the CSA at the first try.
Dr Akmal Makhdoom, who represents BPDF, wonders about the reasons due to which these doctors are being victimised.
He asked: “Are these doctors being discriminated against because in future the GPs will have all the power and the money from the government and the Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) in which the GPs would decide the fate of the local and regional NHS? Are the ethnic minority doctors being excluded from this future because the new set up makes them influential and they will have power over hospitals and managers and GPs would be the main policy builders in the new NHS?”
Mr Rajendra Chaudhry of Medic-Law.com, a defence organisation that supports doctors and dentists, said: “The failure rate is so stark that there must be questions asked about the legality of the examination as well as the training programme. These doctors may be eligible for compensation and our lawyers are looking to form a group of the affected doctors to bring class action against the authorities.”
The News asked the Royal College of General Practitioners to comment on the allegations by the doctors but received no response.
Dr Akmal Makhdoom said that the BPDF does not believe in unnecessary confrontation when remedy can be evolved but obviously “blatant overt or covert, institutional, subtle or conscious or unconscious racism would not be countenanced”.