Restrictions limit the doctors’ role in virus

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Restrictions limit the doctors’ role in virus

Thu, 08/13/2020 - 13:55
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By Dr. Gangula

International medical graduates (IMGs) who are ready to help out in areas hard-hit by COVID-19 are unable to do so due to explicit restrictions on their work visas.

There’s a lot of uncertainty for IMGs, and it can be hard to navigate the visa quotas and limits placed on their practice.

States are calling for more doctors. I keep getting emails from recruiters desperately seeking help in COVID hot zones. I have both Oklahoma and Kansas medical licenses, and I can be of help in my time off. But my visa says I can’t.

IMGs represent a quarter of the total physician work force in the US. There are approximately 15,000 IMGs in this situation who feel like they are on the sidelines because their visa specifies which hospital they have to work in. Applying for a new H1B is a tedious multistep process that takes several months to get approved.

The pride of working as a frontline physician in a crisis like COVID has been replaced by anxiety and fear. If I were to get sick from COVID 19 and not be able to work for about 2 months, I fear deportation because of current visa rules. However, if I had a green card, I would be immune from H1B visa rules — meaning I could help out in COVID hot zones.

It just does not seem right that we are considered essential when it comes to saving lives but are nonessential in terms of immigration purposes and that we and our families face a risk of deportation if we get affected by COVID.

It takes decades for physicians from some countries to get the permanent resident card — or green card — that gives them flexibility to work without special authorization.

One potential solution is the bipartisan Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act – S3599. The bill currently has 36 bipartisan senate co-sponsors and senate majority leadership should take every step to include this legislation into the Cares 2 COVID relief package expected in the next 2 weeks.This bill, if approved, would reallocate 15,000 unused employment-based visas for doctors that were previously authorized by Congress.

The bill also would provide expedited processing, which could potentially enable up to 15,000 physicians to receive the benefits and flexibility of a green card and enable them to work in areas of dire need immediately without visa hassles.

Please help us help you. Dr. Gangula is a board certified Family Medicine physician practicing at Coffeyville Regional Medical Center Medical Group in Coffeyville, KS and the Medical Director of the Montgomery County Kansas Health Department.