According to new guidelines issued by the NHS, doctors need to verify that they can speak English well enough to deal with patients.

The new regulations will come into effect from April 1, 2013 and government will be releasing one list of all the doctors who have qualified under the new checks. The doctors and other medical professionals need to be included on this list if they want to continue their practice at NHS.

The move will guarantee that patients are given the high quality services and according to their needs. In addition, a new consultation will also be launched on new powers for the General Medical Council (GMC).

Subsequently, it would prevent doctors from being granted license to practice medicine in the UK if any problems with their command over English are observed. The guidelines apply equally to the doctors coming from abroad.

The move came after few incidents at the NHS trust hospitals, in which the communication gap between doctors and patients posed a serious threat to their lives. "There are lots of excellent doctors from around the world working in the NHS - this is simply about protecting patients and having proper checks on a doctor's ability to speak English", asserted Dr. Dan Poulter, the Health Minister.