DOZENS of refugee doctors in the region who want to work for the NHS are being held back by lack of funds, it was claimed last night.

While about 60 medically qualified refugees in the region are trying to retrain to get jobs in the NHS, only five have succeeded so far.

Now, the British Medical Association (BMA) has called for greater efforts to be made to help retrain an estimated 865 refugee doctors known to be living in the UK.

Sixty medically qualified refugees are currently retraining in the North-East.

While they are keen to join the NHS, their progress is being hampered by an acute shortage of funds.

New BMA figures show that only about 60 medically qualified refugees are working as doctors in a country which has 10,000 medical vacancies.

So far, only five refugee doctors in the region have obtained NHS posts after retraining with help from a scheme run by Northumbria University.

Dr David Chappel, a public health doctor on Tyneside who has been trying to help refugee doctors for the past three years, said: "I very much agree with what the BMA is saying."

Dr Chappel has managed to obtain a fund worth £45,000 to help refugee doctors pay for fees and education costs, but he believes more could be done.

"It is still quite hard to stump up any money to help these doctors complete their training. Our funds are running low and we are bidding for more," he said.

Only two out of the five doctors who qualified in the North-East have been able to obtain NHS posts in the region. The others were forced to move away to find work.

"When the authorities realise they are retraining as doctors, virtually all of them are given permission to stay," said Dr Chappel.

The retraining service set up by Dr Chappel is also helping 27 refugees who are trained nurses.

Most of the refugees are from Iraq, Iran and Afghan-istan.

Dr Edwin Borman, chairman of the BMA's international committee, said: "The health service is critically short of doctors.

"It makes moral and economic sense to help these doctors to practise in the UK, the country that has given them sanctuary."