Australia lures UK doctors with ad promising Rs 1.3 crore pay, 20 days off a month and free stay

Amid a lingering crisis in the British healthcare system, Australia is now trying to lure doctors from the UK with attractive salaries amounting to nearly Rs 1 crore a month and a whopping 20 days off each month to “travel, swim and surf in the sun”, an advertisement in BMJ, a prominent journal published by the British Medical Association union, revealed. The job offer also promised a sign-in bonus of Rs 2.7 lakh. The advertisement by Australian medical recruitment firm Blugibbon was aimed at doctors working with the National Health Service (NHS) at a time when health workers and the UK government are engaged in a long-running dispute regarding salaries. Targeting graduate doctors in the UK with accident and emergency experience, the advertisement offers a deal where doctors have to work 10 shifts a month and “travel, swim and surf in the sun” for the other 20 days, with an annual salary of $240,000 Australian dollars (Rs 1.3 crore) and “accommodation provided”. A photo of the ad was shared on Twitter by author and former medical specialist Adam Kay. “It goes without saying they didn’t ask about using most of my name,” he added.

How depressing to see this in the BMJ. It’s hard to say those figures don’t present a compelling argument. It all leads to a big question for the govt: if you don’t address doctors’ very reasonable pay concerns, alongside their conditions and wellbeing, guess where they’re going? pic.twitter.com/24oKKrgfLa

— Adam Kay (@amateuradam) May 3, 2023

The ‘Adam K’ used in the advertisement is a reference to Adam Kay who wrote a bestselling book ‘This Is Going To Hurt’ describing his grueling experiences as a junior doctor in the NHS, The Independent reported. In a more detailed advert posted on the BMJ website, for a role in Brisbane, the firm wrote: “A&E Registrar sick of the NHS? This isn’t going to hurt…. Come to Australia for a working holiday to escape the grind. And why? Because we have tens of thousands of vacant nursing posts.” The ad offers £2,000 Australian dollars (Rs 1 lakh) per shift for a year, with a $10,000 to $20,0000 (Rs 10 lakh) completion bonus after 12 months – putting successful applicants in the “top 5 per cent of Australian earners”. Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.