Medical experts in the UK have said that the patients will be at risk even as new plans to test English language skills of foreign doctors are implemented in the country.

The European commission has recommended changes to rules on the movement of labour to make sure the person adjusts well to the adopted country. However, doctors from EU countries will still be able to register in the UK without being tested for their English skills or even medical competence.

Health secretary, Andrew Lansley has said that he will give more powers to NHS employers to check the language skills of doctors from foreign countries besides EU laws.

The General Medical Council (GMC) has expressed concern over having to recognize doctors' qualifications without same checks as for doctors from other parts of the country. It pointed out to an instance in which a doctor’s spouse had contacted them on the doctor’s behalf for registration because the doctor was unable to understand English.

The government and medical professional have been asking for changes to tehrules for some years after foreign doctors were found working in the UK without enough knowledge of English. The proposals for changes to the directive are still expected to take years to be accepted through the EU decision-making process.

The GMC's chief executive, Niall Dickson, said serious concerns remained. "It remains our view that the final directive should provide greater safeguards for patients. Over the coming months we will continue work with the UK government, MEPs, other regulators, and EU institutions to ensure that the final version of the directive focuses on protecting patients."