This week Emma speaks to Dr Sylvia Kama-Kieghe, a GP from Sheffield who is vice chair of the RCGP South Yorkshire and North Trent Faculty and a chair of the RCGP Northern Faculties International Medical Graduate steering group.
Sylvia explains the challenges that international medical graduates - or IMG - GPs face and what the NHS and general practice can do to support them.
Around half of the doctors who enter GP training each year are now IMGs, which means they received their initial medical qualification outside the UK.
Sylvia herself qualified as a doctor in Nigeria. In this episode she talks about her own move to the UK in 2004, and some of the difficulties IMG doctors face in the UK, including racism, long-standing problems related to visas and the challenges of practising medicine in a completely different country and culture.
She also explains why the RCGP Northern Faculties IMG steering group was set up and what it is hoping to achieve, and offers some practical advice on how practices can best support IMG doctors.
This episode was presented by GPonline editor Emma Bower and produced by Czarina Deen.
Useful links
- IMG group on the RCGP members’ forum
- E-learning for health’s guide to induction for IMG doctors
- RCGP overseas doctors guide
- BMA guide on becoming a tier 2 sponsor for GP practices
- NHS guide for IMG doctors
Most regions of Health Education England will have information for IMG doctors working in their area , including:
- Yorkshire and the Humber - you can find the IMG guidebook that Sylvia mentioned in the podcast here
- East of England
- London
- North West
- South West
