A group of Pakistani physicians in the United States plans to lobby Congress this week about lengthy security clearances that, they argue, cause the delays and ultimately lead to staff shortages at some of the neediest hospitals in the United States.
Of the 1,133 doctors from abroad sponsored for clinical training to begin on July 1, 2003, hardly 36 percent arrived late. Eighty of them, or 7 percent, had not arrived at all as of March 1, eight months after their scheduled start dates.
The data were collected for the first time this year by the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates, a Philadelphia non-profit that sponsors all foreign physicians nation-wide after hospitals agree to hire them.
Pakistan, that sends the largest number of medical residents to the United States on training visas, had the most residents affected by delays. Only one-fourth of its citizens arrived at their hospitals on time.
"Many of these physicians man rural and inner-city hospitals where we can't find American graduates," said Omar Atiq, president of the Association of Pakistani Physicians in North America. "Not only do the delays affect the careers of the residents, they're also affecting our patient care here."
The backlog created by security checks has reportedly also prevented scores of scientists from abroad from entering the United States, slowing research on diseases such as AIDS, Alzheimer's and leukemia.
The US State Department has acknowledged that laws and policy changes tightening visa restrictions after September 11 have had unintended consequences. But they say they are working to alleviate the delays.
Last year, the US government flagged 140,000 of its 6,500,000 visa applicants for extensive security checks, based on their country of origin or their fields of study or work. It took more than a month to approve 29,000 of those visas.