Overseas doctors who want to work in the UK must pass language and competence tests after scandals involving the death of NHS patients, claims a doctors' leader.
At present doctors from the EU are exempt from checks on their English and clinical skills which are mandatory for medics from elsewhere in the world.
But Dr Hamish Meldrum, chairman of the British Medical Association council, called for tighter controls, saying patient safety was being jeopardised by EU rules designed to promote free movement of labour.
Dr Meldrum said the death of retired engineer David Gray, 70, after being given ten times the normal dose of diamorphine by German locum Dr Daniel Ubani had shocked British doctors.
Nigerian-born Dr Ubani, who had snatched just a few hours of sleep after flying in to work his first shift for a private out of hours firm, was struck off the medical register earlier this month, but is still practising in Germany.
Dr Meldrum, speaking at the BMA's annual conference in Brighton, said the UK seemed powerless to ensure overseas doctors met standards rightly demanded from home-grown doctors.
Although the UK had benefited enormously from overseas doctors and would continue to do so, patient safety was paramount. he said.
'It cannot be acceptable for poorly trained, badly regulated doctors whose knowledge of English is about as good as my knowledge of Chinese, to be able to practise - virtually unchallenged - in the UK' he said.
The UK 'seemed to be able to do little of nothing to check that doctors from overseas - especially from Europe - meet the proper standards of language and competence' he added.
The Government and the General Medical Council (GMC), which regulates doctors, are currently in discussion about EU rules which apparently prevent the GMC testing the language ability or clinical competence of doctors working here.
There has been growing concern over tragedies involving foreign-trained doctors.
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