Britain has signed an agreement with Nepal to hire nurses from the Himalayan country to address the staff shortages in its public health system.
Under the deal, about 100 Nepalese nurses will be flown to Britain to work at Hampshire Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.
The UK’s health department agreed to bear the travel-related expenses and registration fees of the nurses who would be automatically provided with the right to work in the NHS till the end of the next year.
The pilot scheme is expected to pave the way for thousands more qualified Nepalese health workers to serve in the UK.
The pact remains in effect for five years after which it would be automatically renewed for a similar period.
According to the agreement, the UK would “endeavour” to provide support to Nepal to increase the number of healthcare professionals in the Asian country. It says the two governments “shall develop a mutually agreeable action plan” to achieve the goal.
However, the bilateral deal has raised ethical questions about hiring health workers from Nepal where there are an average of just 0.67 doctors for a population of 1000. This compares with the World Health Organisation recommendation of 2.3 doctors per 1,000 people.
Concerns were also raised earlier when it was reported that the proportion of international doctors recruited in the UK had been going up. Campaigners called it poaching of health professionals from developing countries that faced shortages themselves.
This also led to calls for the UK government to reduce its dependence on foreigners to support its health system.
Royal College of Nursing’s chief executive Pat Cullen has urged ministers to invest more in the recruitment and retention of the domestic workforce to stop the “over-reliance on overseas staff”.
“This starts with pay,” he told The Times, noting that nursing staff “have endured a decade of real terms pay cuts.”
On its dependence on overseas recruits, the Department of Health said, “internationally trained staff have been part of the NHS since its inception in 1948 and continue to play a vital role.”
UK to hire nurses from Nepal to plug staff shortages
About 100 Nepalese nurses will work at Hampshire under a pilot scheme and this could pave the way for more such recruitments
Moglai Bap and Mo Chara of Kneecap perform at Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm in Pilton, Somerset, Britain, June 28, 2025. REUTERS/Jaimi Joy
Police may probe anti-Israel comments at Glastonbury
BRITISH police said they were considering whether to launch an investigation after performers at Glastonbury Festival made anti-Israel comments during their shows.
"We are aware of the comments made by acts on the West Holts Stage at Glastonbury Festival this afternoon," Avon and Somerset Police, in western England, said on X late on Saturday (28).
Irish hip-hop group Kneecap and punk duo Bob Vylan made anti-Israeli chants in separate shows on the West Holts stage on Saturday. One of the members of Bob Vylan chanted "Death, death, to the IDF" in a reference to the Israel Defense Forces.
"Video evidence will be assessed by officers to determine whether any offences may have been committed that would require a criminal investigation," the police statement said.
The Israeli Embassy in Britain said it was "deeply disturbed by the inflammatory and hateful rhetoric expressed on stage at the Glastonbury Festival".
Prime minister Keir Starmer said earlier this month it was "not appropriate" for Kneecap to appear at Glastonbury.
The band's frontman Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh was charged with a terrorism offence last month for allegedly displaying a flag in support of Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah at a concert in November. He has denied the charge.
A British government minister said it was appalling that the anti-Israel chants had been made at Glastonbury, and that the festival's organisers and the BBC broadcaster - which is showing the event - had questions to answer.
Health secretary Wes Streeting said he was also appalled by violence committed by Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank.
"I'd also say to the Israeli Embassy, get your own house in order in terms of the conduct of your own citizens and the settlers in the West Bank," Streeting told Sky News.
"I wish they'd take the violence of their own citizens towards Palestinians more seriously," he said.
(Reuters)