Legislator: WHO, other int’l groups to have bigger say on foreign MDs working in NC

It appears the, um, *honorables* in The General Assembly are increasing the amount of influence foreigners have over your and your loved ones’ health care:

Yesterday, we reported that the North Carolina General Assembly has quietly pried open a back door to our medical system — and they’re calling it “progress.”

In a video posted to X yesterday, Rep. Dr. Grant Campbell, co- sponsor of North Carolina’s new HB67 law, stated clearly what critics feared: the state will now rely on the World Health Organization (WHO) and its affiliated global agencies to vet foreign-trained doctors.

Not the U.S. government.

Not the gold standards that have governed American medicine for decades. […]

Recently, the U.S. withdrew from the WHO, citing its COVID-19 failures, involvement with the CCP, political bias, and unfair costs. The president redirected global health efforts to domestic control.

Foreign physicians seeking work in North Carolina will now be assessed under a global framework designed mainly for inclusion, not patient safety and excellence.

That’s not speculation. That’s the plan.

“These doctors have to graduate through a medical school recognized by the World Federation of Medical Education,” and pass an exam in their home country. Campbell said in his announcement. The program will have “international oversight,” he admits.

He added that training and tests approved by another WHO partner – International Association of Regulatory Authorities – will be accepted. Doctors from countries like Pakistan, Sudan, Gaza, Syria, Libya, and Lebanon—places with vastly different medical training, oversight, and regulatory environments will now have access to North Carolina’s clinics and hospitals.

And after just four years of employment, they’ll qualify for full, unrestricted licenses to practice anywhere in the state for less than American doctors.

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The WHO Is Now in Charge

Under HB67, North Carolina has effectively outsourced control of its physician standards to international bodies. The WFME, which works under the WHO’s guidance, will determine whether a medical school qualifies. Foreign applicants will take exams approved by the International Association of Medical Regulatory Authorities (IAMRA), another WHO-aligned organization.

These are not American standards. They are international ones, built for inclusion and DEI, not safety.

Why is this happening?

Because, as Dr. Campbell and other lawmakers argue, there’s a doctor shortage in rural areas.

Rather than expand residency slots for U.S.-trained doctors, many of whom remain unmatched due to systemic underfunding, legislators brought in a cheaper alternative.

And let’s be clear: it is cheaper. Foreign-trained doctors will not only enter the workforce without U.S. residency training or having passed the USMLE, they’ll also do so at lower pay.

Hospitals and insurance companies will get richer.

That’s the entire business model.

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Two Tiers of Doctors—And One Gets Special Treatment

HB67 introduces an entirely new tier of medical licensing. While American-trained doctors must complete grueling multi-step exams and years of U.S. or Canadian residency, foreign physicians entering under HB67 face no such requirements.

They get a provisional license almost immediately. If they avoid criminal charges or disciplinary actions for four years, they receive a full license—without ever having met U.S. standards.

In practice, this means they’ll soon be eligible to work in major hospitals, urban clinics, and private practices, competing directly with fully credentialed American doctors. They won’t just stay in rural areas. They will move—and they will replace U.S. doctors, because they are cheaper to hire.

This isn’t a theory. It’s what the bill allows, and what hospital systems will almost certainly do. […]

A Weak Watchdog: The North Carolina Medical Board

The body tasked with overseeing this program, the North Carolina Medical Board (NCMB), has proven itself utterly unfit for the task.

A damning 2023 state audit found that the Board withheld information on more than 95% of its investigations. That secrecy shrouded serious misconduct, including cases involving violent criminal behavior and sexual assault.

One physician continued practicing while under indictment for assaulting a patient. Another doctor convicted of battery kept his license with barely a slap on the wrist.

This is not a board that holds doctors accountable. […]

It doesn’t protect the public. It protects hospitals, insurance companies, and itself.

Now this same board is expected to evaluate the credentials and safety of foreign-trained doctors from countries where records may be spotty, oversight is nonexistent, and accountability can be politically manipulated?

This would be hilarious if patients’ lives weren’t at stake. But they are, and North Carolina is in trouble.

If the Board won’t discipline domestic doctors for criminal behavior, how can it possibly scrutinize international training programs and credentials?

The truth is, it won’t. It will rubber-stamp what the WHO or WFME tells it.

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Doctors Speak Out

Many physicians across the country are sounding the alarm.

“This is a complete betrayal of the people of North Carolina,” tweeted Dr. Clayton Forrester. “They’re now at greater risk of dying from incompetent and under-trained foreign doctors.”

Orthopaedic surgeon and former NFL doctor Dr. Robert Berry wrote:

“HB67 allows foreign-trained docs to practice without completing a U.S. residency or passing the USMLE. Training is very different in other countries. I think this puts patients at risk.”

[…]

Dr. Sanat Dixit, a U.S.-trained neurosurgeon originally from India, added:

“Practicing medicine is a privilege. Actions like this denigrate the profession and devalue our licensure. This is bad for U.S. healthcare because it’s bad for U.S. doctors.”

[…]

North Carolinians Lose Control Over Their Own Care

What HB67 really represents is a loss of control, local control.