Government saves NHS training posts for UK students

Training posts with the NHS will only be available to UK medical students from 2009, the Government has announced.

As competition between foreign and home-grown medical students increases, the Government has announced the new rules fearing there would not be enough places for future doctors from the UK.

Only last year it was announced by the Department of Health that medical students would be facing increased competition for training places, with three future doctors applying for each post.

Furthermore, half the applicants for NHS training posts were foreign medical students.

Under the new regulations trainee doctors from Commonwealth countries such as India, Pakistan, South Africa and Australia will have to look elsewhere for the next stage of their medical training.

Alan Johnson, the Health Secretary, stated that the new system only affected trainee doctors.

'I cannot stress enough that we are not closing the door to international doctors working in the NHS,' he said.