Bid to help attract Indian A&E doctors very positive for PRH
A top level meeting with the Indian Consul in Birmingham organised by Telford & Wrekin Council could help recruit much needed doctors and nurses from India to come and work at Telford’s PRH hospital.
The meeting, set up by borough mayor Raj Mehta, looked at how Consul General Dr Aman Puri could help the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals Trust (SaTH) with recruitment of Indian doctors to PRH.
The hospital says it will have to close its A&E department overnight in November due to shortages in middle grade A&E doctors and nurses.
Cllr leader Shaun Davies, who was at the Indian Consulate meeting yesterday (18 October) with SaTH chief executive Simon Wright, said there was great potential to help tackle challenges in recruiting key staff to PRH - the root cause of the planned A&E closure.
Cllr Davies said: “There’s many opportunities that we and SaTH will be exploring in the coming days and encouraging a number of organisations in India to work with the hospital. This won’t stop the planned overnight A&E closure, but could be vital to helping get the hospital back to full capacity.
Cllr Davies said he would raise urgently with Government issues around visa delays that he was told act as a barrier to Indian doctors and nurses coming to work at hospitals such as PRH. It’s very difficult for Indian doctors to get a visa and then they can only stay for two years.
“We have a great offer to help attract new doctors to come and work at PRH, we need help from Government to make this as easy as possible.
“We urgently need a Government rescue plan for PRH and a solution to the issue with visas – this very postive meeting is another important step forward into getting the PRH up to strength.”
Cllr Davies spoke to BBC Radio Shropshire's Adam Green (broadcast 18 October 2018) :
Mayor Cllr Raj Mehta who set up the meeting added: “We are very grateful to the Consul for his time and support.”
Among the incentives for new A&E Doctors from India to work at SaTH are free accommodation, financial support for a return flight home in the first 12 months and a personal development allowance.
The Trust needs at least another seven additional A&E Middle Grade Doctors and another 15 more Registered A&E Nurses to help prevent PRH’s A&E’s overnight closure.
Pictured - Council leader Shaun Davies, Simon Wright, Dr Aman Puri Telford mayor Raj Mehta,
