Members of Parliament in the UK are calling for stringent regulation of foreign doctors, following the death of a patient due to his doctor's inability to speak English.

Dr Daniel Ubani accidentally killed David Gray, 70, by giving him an overdose of painkillers. It was Dr Ubani's first shift as a General Practitioner (GP) in the UK.

The German physician had already failed in one attempt to enter Britain, but is said to have taken advantage of differences in regional rules to be accepted as a GP.

Now a committee of MPs is calling for tough checks to ensure that new GPs can speak English competently.

"It is tragic that it takes the death of a patient to expose the serious failings now evident in the current system for checking language and competence skills of overseas doctors," said Kevin Barron of the Commons Health Select Committee. "Everything possible must be done as soon as possible to ensure another life is not lost in this way."

There appears to be confusion over European Union regulations. According to The Guardian (London), doctors from within the EU do not face the same language tests as other foreign nationals before being accepted by the General Medical Council (GMC).

The European Commission, however, says that "language requirements can be imposed, but they need to be proportionate and on a case-by-case basis."

Speaking to the UK Press Association, an EC spokesperson said that "if the competent authority is not convinced that the doctor has the right level of English they can then impose a language test. So the EU Directive does not forbid the competent authority from imposing tests in such circumstances."

11 April 2010