Britain has agreed to consider the request for keeping the first round of recruitment for its Nation Health Services open for Indian doctors, the Lok Sabha was informed Wednesday. Efforts are underway to ensure that Indian Medical Graduates are also allowed to appear unconditionally for the second round of recruitment that is likely to take place in April, Minister of Overseas Indian Affairs Vayalar Ravi said in a written reply.

He was responding to questions about immigration laws being changed in the UK that may force thousands of Indian doctors there to leave the country as they have little prospects of finding a job there.

Ravi said the Indian High Commission had taken up with the UK government the issue of allowing the Indian doctors to apply for the first round of recruitment under the system of Modernising Medical Careers.

The National Health Services of UK proposes to recruit around 10,000 doctors in the first round. The British government has implemented new immigration and employment regulations on March 7 last year under which all non-EU doctors will require a work permit to work in the country. However, work permit will be given against specific vacancies for which suitable UK/EU doctors are not available.

The new regulations abolished the Permit Free Training category through which most Indian Medical Graduates worked in the UK.