The decision to abolish the medical training initiative (MTI) scheme (Medical colleges condemn scrapping of NHS placements for overseas doctors, 31 July) risks reversing years of progress in medical diplomacy and repeating earlier mistakes in the UK’s treatment of international medical graduates (IMGs).
In the early 2000s, in response to perceived workforce shortages, the government actively recruited IMGs and established a new GMC exam centre to process applicants at scale. Thousands came to the UK, but the number of available posts was insufficient. The government responded by ending the permit-free visa, which had allowed IMGs to work in the UK, so doctors could now only apply for posts when no UK graduate had applied, regardless of relative merits. International exchanges built over decades ended abruptly.
