Registered nurses hold a demonstration on April 1, 2020 in El Paso, Texas. (AFP photo)
WASHINGTON: New York and New Jersey have taken the lead in temporarily drafting foreign medical graduates — hundreds of Indians among them — in addition to enlisting retirees and medical school students, to join the battle against the coronavirus epidemic.
Governors of the two states have signed executive orders this week waiving licensing requirements or granting temporary licenses to foreign-born and foreign-licensed physicians in the US for training, in an effort to relieve pressure on the current overstretched work force and in anticipation of a huge spike in Covid-19 cases over the next few weeks.
The changes could see more than 1000 Indian physicians and medical graduates who are currently in the US on J1 and H1B visas join the battle, particularly if other states follow suit and Washington endorses