Asian doctors 'face bar'

JUNIOR doctors with Asian surnames are nearly 50 per cent less likely to be shortlisted for National Health Service hospital jobs, a survey has claimed.

In addition only one in 10 hospital trusts sent out ethnic monitoring questionnaires with the application forms which they are required to do. Pairs of fake CVs were sent to 50 hospital trusts in response to genuine advertisements for senior house officers. One application bore an English surname and one an Asian surname. Twenty-six doctors with English surnames were short-listed compared to 18 with Asian surnames.

In a letter to the British Medical Journal, Dr Sam Everington and Dr Aneez Esmail, both vice-presidents of the Medical Practitioners' Union, accuse consultants of racial discrimination. Alan Milburn, health minister, said: "NHS employers are accountable for meeting equality goals. The survey suggests this is not the case." Electronic Telegraph

Related News Thursday 16 January 1997