Heart surgeon to lead hunt for foreign doctors
Your support helps us to tell the story
This election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.
The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.
Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.
Sir Magdi Yacoub, the pioneering heart surgeon, took charge yesterday of a government campaign to recruit foreign consultants to fill vacant posts in British hospitals.
As the first "special envoy" for the NHS, Sir Magdi will promote British medicine around the world. The 66-year-old surgeon, who was recently forced to stop performing NHS operations because of his age, enjoys an international reputation and knows many of the world's most eminent doctors.
He will head an international fellowship scheme which, over the next three years, will aim to attract 450 specialists in heart and lung surgery, histopathology, radiology and psychiatry, areas where the NHS has acute shortages which cannot be met, in the short-term, by British trainees.
During their two-year postings, the fellows will enjoy "attractive" packages worth about £200,000, including relocation, housing and pension subsidies.
Sir Magdi said: "We have a pressing need to increase the number of heart operations to allow the NHS to achieve its mission in delivering an effective, equitable service."
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments