Many Doctors Can't Speak English

(United Kingdom) Thousands of doctors from continental Europe practice in the UK without a basic grasp of the English language.

From Daily Mail:

One in 10 doctors allowed to practise in Britain cannot speak good enough English, it has been claimed.

A total of 23,000 medics from Europe are working here without a basic grasp of the language, according to influential health regulators. They are calling for a change to European law to ensure all doctors arriving from the continent undergo language tests.

In one documented case, lack of English language skills by a Frenchman, Dr. Bernard Delvigne, led to the death of a patient when an emergency was not handled properly.

Many Americans will likely sympathize with the problem. In particular, it's believed that patients' health is somewhat compromised on the West Coast and in the Southwest since many doctors don't speak Spanish. On the other hand, many health professionals in the same regions believe that patients' health is compromised since they cannot communicate in English.

Picking sides, I'd say the doctors in Britain and the patients in America need to learn English. I expect somebody will call me a racist.

Companion post at The Jawa Report.