Los Angeles, March 17: Pakistani and Indian medical bodies have criticized US Department of Agriculture (USDA) decision for discontinuing issuance of J-1 visas to international medical graduates.

This step will, particularly, hit doctors from Pakistan, India and Philippines, who, after completing medical residencies or fellowships in the US, start practising in medically under-served rural areas here, in exchange for a waiver of the home residency requirement.

Before this decision, graduates of foreign medical schools could obtain a J-1 visa (education exchange visa) to attend a medical residency or fellowship training programme in the US. The visa required that upon completion of the training programme, the foreign physicians must return to their home country for at least two years, before applying for immigrant status in the United States.

A USDA statement, early this month, said: “As a result of its programme review, the department has come to the conclusion that while the programme served valid and important purposes, the benefits of the USDA’s involvement are clearly outweighed by potential problems and risks. Therefore, effective from Feb 27, 2002, the USDA will no longer act as an interested government agency on behalf of those desiring recommendation of a J-1 visa waiver. Pending waiver requests will be returned to the senders.”

Up till now, foreign physicians could have the J-1 visa “home-residence” requirement waived in return for providing primary care or general mental healthcare in federally designated rural and urban communities that have shortages of primary care physicians or psychiatrists.

“The J-1 waiver programme has worked exceedingly well in providing primary care in rural and urban areas in the United States since the Kennedy era,” said Dr Anmol S. Mahal, vice-chairman of the board of trustees at the California Medical Association told Dawn .

According to a New York-based immigration lawyer, Carl Shusterman, the termination of the USDA programme, if not immediately remedied, would have devastating consequences for the rural America.

A federally-funded study found that over 30 per cent of rural counties in the US have shortages of physicians. If all international medical graduates, practising primary care in rural counties were removed from the calculation, this number would rise to over 44 per cent.