NHS Axes 'Earn, Learn and Return' Doctor Scheme, Sparking Fury Over Staffing and Soft Power

The NHS has quietly scrapped the Medical Training Initiative — the "earn, learn and return" scheme that brought 400 to 500 foreign-trained doctors a year from countries like Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Nepal for placements of up to two years. NHS England's abrupt decision has left the UK's medical royal colleges "very disappointed" and raised fears it will deepen a doctor shortage at a service where two-fifths of all medics are international graduates.

Vital...