Politicsnigel farageNigel Farage UKIPukip

7 Things Farage Does Not Want You To Know About Immigration And The NHS

7 Things Farage Does Not Want You To Know About Migrants And The NHS
Kumail Jaffer
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Nigel Farage told Sky News on Sunday that too many British people have been subjected to the traumatic experience of visiting a "GP that didn't speak very good English", citing a lack of "proper integration" as the key issue.

However, the Ukip leader has overlooked how crucial immigrants have been to the health service throughout the decades, whether it is the origin or continuing success of the NHS.

Here are just 7 things Farage seems to prefer you didn't know...

7 Things Farage Should Know About the NHS
They've been a massive help...(01 of07)
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Doctors from a BME (black and minority ethic) background make up 27% of all doctors registered with the GMC (General Medical Council). This independent regulation committee tests competence in exams and clinical skills, and has thus far permitted over 70,000 BME doctors who are currently practicing.
Are we forgetting the Windrush generation?(02 of07)
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Had Farage been in power 65 years ago, it's unlikely he would have allowed the 'Windrush Generation' to fly through Britain's doors. This Carribbean superhero, formed of thousands of immigrants during the 1950s, saved the short-staffed NHS at a difficult time for the newly created health service.
And they're still needed....(03 of07)
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Dr Peter Carter, head of the Royal College of Nursing, has warned that without continued immigration, the NHS will once again fall into crisis. He predicted that in just three years, the UK will be forced to look overseas to fill its staffing needs.
Some people would really disagree with him...(04 of07)
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Labour veteran Dennis Skinner's speech attacking Ukip's Mark Reckless went viral as he spoke about an experience that was (quite literally) close to his heart, pointing out that his bypass surgery was performed by a Syrian cardiologist, a Malaysian surgeon, a Dutch doctor and a Nigerian registrar."
Homegrown doctors are still prioritised...(05 of07)
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Last Summer, the GMC received a number of complaints that foreign doctors were being discriminated against. Statistically, the failure rate for the CSA (Clinical Skills Assessment) for foreign doctors was 65.3%, compared to 9.9% of British nationals. One wonders whether this is down to a lack of foreign competence, or perhaps a greater willingness to recruit more homegrown practitioners...
They DO speak English...(06 of07)
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The GMC rigorously tests the aptitude of all doctors, and even moreso those outside the EEA (European Economic Area), who are subjected to additional language tests to enable their proficency in the language.
And we train enough British people....(07 of07)
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In fact, more than enough - so much so, that 5,000 decide to emigrate to Australia each year, whilst the NHS reduced the number of medical school places to avoid an "oversupply" of doctors.
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