HHS will seek visa waivers for immigrant physicians

Moving to end a controversy that arose in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the Health and Human Services Department will begin requesting visa waivers for foreign physicians who agree to practice medicine in rural communities, HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson announced recently.

Without waivers, physicians, who have usually just finished medical school, would be required to return to their home countries. The Agriculture Department has been intervening with the State Department and the Immigration and Naturalization Service on behalf of the communities and physicians, but Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman decided after the attacks that USDA could not continue the service because it lacks the capacity for investigating physicians for possible terrorist connections.

Veneman's decision set off a political furor that was settled only after lawmakers, led by Rep. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., convinced the White House to force USDA to continue to intervene, at least temporarily, with INS. Moran said a lack of physicians would discourage college graduates from returning to farms and damage rural economies.

"Our rural communities struggle to maintain health care services, and I appreciate the Administration's recognition of our plight," Moran said in a release. "The White House has worked hard to find a way to operate this program while addressing security concerns. This is a solution that will benefit the delivery of health care in rural communities."

HHS will review applications from community health centers, rural hospitals and other healthcare providers that need physicians, then screen applications and verify the physicians' credentials before making recommendations to the State Department.

Thompson said HHS would coordinate its review with state health officials and that HHS already reviews waiver requests involving foreign physicians working in biomedical research. The INS will grant the waivers.