Foreign doctors 'must speak English'

[Headliner]

Foreign doctors wanting to treat NHS patients in England will have to prove from April they can speak English, the Department of Health confirms.

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[Evil Eye]

Don't you have to have at least a basic understanding of the language of another country if you want to work there?

 

[Jazzy]

Don't you have to have at least a basic understanding of the language of another country if you want to work there?

One would think so. We have a doctor at the hospital who's very good. Only problem is trying to understand what he's saying. He understands English but he doesn't SPEAK English very well. One day I actually had him write what he wanted me to do. Like I said, he's excellent in his field of medicine but.....

 

[Sinon]

Don't you have to have at least a basic understanding of the language of another country if you want to work there?

BASIC yes. Many of the doctors I've seen who are not native English are extremely hard to talk to. Anyone in the medical field should be native-level fluent. A screw-up due to the language barrier could cost lives.

 

[Jazzy]

A screw-up due to the language barrier could cost lives.

Which is exactly what happened:

Concerns were raised after a German doctor, Dr Daniel Ubani, gave a patient a fatal overdose on his first and only shift in the UK.



He had earlier been rejected for work because of poor English skills.

 

[Evil Eye]

Anyone in the medical field should be native-level fluent.

Yeah, seems weird that that wasn't already a requirement.

Only problem is trying to understand what he's saying.

I've had a few teachers like that, of course they just spoke English.