NHS training scheme for hundreds of doctors from lower income countries closed

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By Daniel Pye

A scheme which has placed thousands of international doctors from lower and middle income countries in two-year NHS training posts has been closed.

The Medical Training Initiative (MTI), run by medical royal colleges and funded by NHS England, was closed to new applicants on 31 March.

The 1,600 doctors currently on placements in the UK will not be affected and can still complete their two–year stint

An NHS England review of the MTI last year found the scheme, which used unfilled training capacity, should be discontinued.

It was intended to allow doctors to learn knowledge, skills and techniques from the NHS that could be used to improve patient care in their home country.

NHS England funded the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges (AoMRC) to sponsor doctors on the Government Authorised Exchange visa, previously known as Tier 5, for the MTI.

But the review decided the current model is "no longer consistently meeting its objectives" and requires more fundamental reform.