...The US is already projected to face a shortfall of up to 86,000 physicians by 2036
…The increase in the H-1B visa could further reduce the physician pipeline
The American Medical Association (AMA) has warned that the hike in H-1B visa fees could choke off the international physician pipeline and further cause a shortage of the already insufficient numbers of physicians in the United States (US).
The American Hospital Association (AHA) is now lobbying for the administration to grant exemptions for healthcare personnel, fearing that a reduction in foreign-trained doctors will mean fewer specialists and an increased burden on existing domestic staff.
Hospital groups, including the AHA, rely on this programme to plug immediate workforce gaps, particularly following sustained pressure on staff since the COVID-19 pandemic.
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The Trump administration’s proposal to dramatically inflate fees for the H-1B visa has major implications for Nigerian doctors and other international medical graduates seeking to practise in the US.
Healthcare bodies in the US warn that the measure could cripple efforts to fill critical staffing gaps, a situation that will directly affect the career prospects of foreign-trained physicians.
Choking the international pipeline
Many rely on the H-1B to start their careers in the States, often accepting posts in underserved and rural areas.
Dr Bobby Mukkamala, president of the AMA, stated, “With the US already facing a shortage of doctors, making it harder for international medical graduates to train and practise here means patients will wait longer and drive farther to get care.”
Read also: Nigerian diaspora physicians to drive healthcare reform in Lagos.
Exposing staffing shortages
International medical graduates currently make up over one-fifth of practising family doctors in the US, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), and are often concentrated in areas where domestic recruitment falls short.
The proposed changes threaten to remove this vital supply of talent.
Last year, the US granted 5,640 H-1B visas in the healthcare sector alone.
With the US already projected to face a shortfall of up to 86,000 physicians by 2036, this financial barrier to entry for highly-skilled professionals, including those from Nigeria, is being viewed as a self-inflicted wound that could severely diminish patient access to care.
