Save time by listening to our audio articles as you multitaskMr Sahloul’s circumstances may be unusual but his decision to study in eastern Europe is increasingly common. Although Britain has long had a shortage of doctors, it shortsightedly refuses to train more medical students. In 2021 only around 12,000 Britons, out of 102,000 native applicants, were accepted to study medicine or dentistry at a British university .
Two countries in the region absorb most of the incomers. Bulgaria is one, owing, initially at least, to less stringent university-entrance requirements. In 2014 no medical graduate from Bulgaria who practised medicine in Britain was British; by 2021 two-thirds of them were. Since entrance exams were introduced in 2017, and following Britain’s departure from the, rival destinations have emerged.
It is easy to see the logic behind studying in eastern Europe. For a fee of around €8,000 per year, students can receive a decent education in English for less than they would have paid for a British medical degree. Their qualifications will be recognised by the General Medical Council, the body with which all doctors working in Britain must register. Already over 2,900 British nationals who qualified in central or eastern Europe are on the medical register.
Gaining a clutch of junior doctors without having to subsidise any of their studies might seem like a nice solution for Britain. In practice it can be hard for new graduates to find work if and when they return home. Although many are successful, “a lot of them go off to Australia, because they can’t get a job here,” says Anwar Khan, a general practitioner who has mentored Britons studying in Bulgaria.
Ok
Poor Britons 😥
Nations without generous welfare are always affordable.
eastern Europe has been a growing exporter of affordable education internationally for a while now. medical life sciences being a key sector. it's has only recently been spreading west.