Part of 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 2:04 pm on 2 July 2024.
Altaf Hussain
Conservative
2:04,
2 July 2024
Coming to the ethical issue, First Minister, as someone born outside Great Britain, who spent their career working in the NHS, I can personally attest to the contributions that overseas doctors, nurses, healthcare professionals and carers make to our health and care system. But I'm also acutely aware of the downsides of our reliance on overseas workers, namely we are denying their country of origin of their talent. As a doctor from Kashmir, one of my biggest regrets is the fact that healthcare in my country of birth has continued to decline, with nowhere near enough medics. It is the same across the Indian sub-continent, the Philippines and large parts of Africa. Their best and brightest come here for better wages and working conditions, while healthcare at home struggles to find staff. First Minister, do you agree that our reliance on overseas staff is doing a disservice to many poorer nations? Will you outline the concrete steps you're taking to train and retain British citizens as doctors and nurses?
Ministers make up the Government and almost all are members of the House of Lords or the House of Commons. There are three main types of Minister. Departmental Ministers are in charge of Government Departments. The Government is divided into different Departments which have responsibilities for different areas. For example the Treasury is in charge of Government spending. Departmental Ministers in the Cabinet are generally called 'Secretary of State' but some have special titles such as Chancellor of the Exchequer. Ministers of State and Junior Ministers assist the ministers in charge of the department. They normally have responsibility for a particular area within the department and are sometimes given a title that reflects this - for example Minister of Transport.
