The training crisis facing resident doctors and international medical graduates (IMGs) has been created by successive governments, says DAUK\u2019s SAS lead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dr Victoria Zaslona said it had been \u2018painted as the fault of IMGs\u2019 when the problem was a result of years of poor workforce planning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She was speaking on national radio during a discussion on the news UK medical graduates are to be given priority access to specialty training jobs in the NHS.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Government has announced it will prioritise UK medical graduates for training places from 2026. It is part of its efforts to end industrial action by resident doctors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dr Zaslona, speaking on LBC, said: \u201cOne important thing to be really clear about is that junior doctors want training places.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThey don\u2019t want international medical graduates to not have jobs or not be given training. It\u2019s just that they want to be able to have training places.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis is the government\u2019s way of painting the issue of no training places as IMGs\u2019 fault.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She said that poor workforce planning over many years led governments to make short-term decisions to plug rota gaps, rather than invest strategically in medical training.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This resulted in large numbers of IMGs being recruited into locally employed doctor roles. These are posts often offering little training, limited support, and insecure terms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThey\u2019ve made very quick decisions about trying to fill rota gaps and opened up schemes to bring IMGs to fill those gaps,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThey want to come to the UK. They\u2019ve heard how good the training schemes are. And then IMGs have aspirations, as many doctors do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis problem has been created by the government itself, and now it\u2019s being painted as the fault of IMGs.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dr Zaslona warned that political rhetoric risked scapegoating IMGs and perpetuating racist narratives, rather than addressing structural failures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Citing the GMC workforce report, she noted that doctors outside formal training schemes now make up a growing proportion of the workforce.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This, she said, was another illustration of how \u2018training schemes are no longer fit for purpose\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She said: \u201cBut no one yet is really talking about re-wiring or dismantling and rebuilding the system.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n