Healthcare Development: International Partnerships

Lord Oates Excerpts

Thursday 17th September 2026 Grand Committee

[Lord Oates (LD)]

My Lords, I join other noble Lords in thanking the noble Lord, Lord Crisp, for securing this debate and for his long-standing leadership on global health. I also pay tribute to the work of the global health partners with which I have had the opportunity to work in the past. This is the first time I have taken part in a debate with the noble Lord, Lord Wood, since he has become a Minister, so I welcome him to his ministerial position and congratulate the Prime Minister on making such an excellent appointment.

I have spoken in previous debates about my experiences earlier in my career: teaching in a rural school in Zimbabwe and, later, working in South Africa for a few years. Although I hope that the contribution I made in those roles was valuable to the communities in which I worked, I know that it was absolutely priceless to me. I learned about living in a resource-constrained environment, about the ingenuity and commitment of the community and about the perspectives of people with very different life experiences and cultural backgrounds from mine.

Those experiences shaped my life. They taught me how much we have to gain when we are prepared to listen and learn. That is why, this afternoon, I want to speak in particular about the contribution of NHS England’s Global Health Volunteer Fellowships programme, which puts that principle into practice. I want to make what seems to me to be the overwhelming case for continuing the modest financial support that enables the scheme to operate, allowing doctors from the UK to contribute overseas and bring valuable skills home. The programme deploys doctors for four to six months in health facilities in a number of low and middle-income countries, including Kenya, Malawi, Namibia, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Uganda and Zimbabwe. These doctors are paid a small stipend to cover travel and living expenses. More than 450 have been deployed to date, making a significant contribution to the communities they have served but also gaining new skills and experiences, to the benefit of our National Health Service.

An independent evaluation of the programme by Hughes Hall, Cambridge, found that 94% of fellows responding reported improved clinical skills, while 92% reported better problem solving and decision-making. One doctor described returning to British general practice calmer, more confident and more aware of how poverty shapes patients’ health; working with limited diagnostics had sharpened his skills of observation, examination and clinical judgment. Another explained how they managed presentations of which they had little or no prior experience, including trauma, burns and snake bites, building confidence and a practical skill set that they would not have developed in the UK. Another described learning from highly skilled South African doctors and incorporating those skills directly into NHS practice. These are benefits that they can provide to the NHS and their patients throughout their careers.

Secondly, the programme encourages a more thoughtful use of resources. Doctors described learning to weigh decisions carefully, adapt to constraints and avoid waste. An Oxford radiology registrar who worked at George Hospital in South Africa’s Western Cape explained how the experience better equipped him to allocate limited resources, avoid waste and appreciate the resources that are available in the National Health Service.

Thirdly, there is the benefit to morale and retention. One participant described rediscovering the joy of practicing medicine. The evaluation records testimony that the programme can help retain GP trainees and renew their commitment. We invest heavily in training doctors; helping them remain motivated and committed to NHS practice should be part of protecting that investment.

The benefits to the partner hospitals were also clear. In Mitchells Plain, a highly deprived community outside Cape Town, fellows are described as integral members of the emergency team. Both fellows and local medical staff reported learning from each other.

At George Hospital, the partnership has helped sustain patient care while developing future healthcare leaders, and the Tshemba Foundation, which supports volunteers at Tintswalo Hospital and surrounding rural clinics in north-eastern South Africa, describes the Global Health Volunteer Fellowships programme as invaluable and explains why continuity matters so much—a regular flow of fellows allows it to plan.

Finally, there is the benefit of the personal relationships that are built, which contribute to the kind of personal diplomacy that is important for the UK’s relationships abroad. I know that myself from the time I spent working in South Africa and Zimbabwe; I built enduring relationships which remain to this day. Lots of those personal relationships contribute to how the UK is seen.

Despite all these benefits, there is deep concern that the programme may be discontinued. I very much hope that this will be reconsidered. Ministers should consider what will be lost: training opportunities, clinical contributions and relationships built through years of co-operation. Can the Minister tell us what the Government’s position is in this regard and explain how the benefits to NHS training and partner hospitals are being assessed?

I understand the pressures on resources, but we are talking here about very modest funding. A small stipend can make possible months of service and learning, with benefits that last well beyond a placement. We should have the judgment to recognise that value and the commitment to sustain it.

London Sudan Conference

Lord Oates Excerpts

Monday 28th April 2025 Lords Chamber

[The Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (Baroness Chapman of Darlington) (Lab)]

I thank the noble Lord, Lord Callanan, for his agreement with us about the nature of the conflict in Sudan and, as he quite rightly said, the horrific impact it is having on civilians—not least on women and very young children, who have been subject to the most violent sexual attacks. I can assure him that we will continue to do everything we can to bring about a peaceful resolution to this conflict, difficult though that undoubtedly is.

The conference that we held in London during recess involved Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, South Sudan, Chad, Kenya, Ethiopia and Uganda, as well as Norway, Canada, the USA, Switzerland, the UN and the League of Arab States. We hosted it alongside the African Union. This was a good step, and there was a co-chairs’ statement at the end. This is unlikely to be a situation that is resolved by one intervention such as a conference, but it is right for the Foreign Secretary to show leadership, bring people together and try to at least take the first steps towards improving the situation.

[Lord Oates (LD)]

My Lords, I declare my interest as chief executive of United Against Malnutrition & Hunger. I welcome the focus that the Government are giving to the Sudan crisis. However, the Minister will be aware of the critical need to scale up the humanitarian response before the rainy season starts in June, when humanitarian access will become even more difficult. In that context, could she expand on whether the conference concluded specific outcomes on humanitarian access, what the next steps are following the conference and how the Government will ensure that the additional —and welcome—humanitarian funding announced will get to the agencies on the ground as swiftly as possible?

[Baroness Chapman of Darlington (Lab)]

I thank the noble Lord for raising the important issue of access for humanitarian support and aid. The conference was not designed as a pledging conference to raise money, but it did instigate the raising of £800 million towards supporting humanitarian work in Sudan for those who have been displaced. As he will know, there are many people who are now living in neighbouring countries in very difficult conditions. The safety of aid workers, access for aid and the protection of civilians were the three things that were agreed at the conference. We have committed to continuing to work to improve the situation on the ground, difficult though that is.

Gaza: Healthcare System Support

Lord Oates Excerpts

Thursday 16th January 2025 Lords Chamber

[Lord Oates (LD)]

My Lords, I declare my interests as set out in the register.

We awoke with news that gave hope that, 15 months after the monstrous Hamas attacks of 7 October, a ceasefire would bring the Israeli hostages home and end the devastating slaughter of innocent Palestinian civilians. This afternoon, we hear reports that Israel continues with airstrikes on Gaza and is backing away from the agreement, reportedly due to the intransigence of extremist Israeli Ministers, Smotrich and Ben-Gvir. During this time, Palestinian health services have been attacked and largely destroyed and health service workers indiscriminately killed or seized by the IDF.

In light of these attacks, will the Minister restate that obligations under international humanitarian law to protect hospitals and health workers are unconditional? Will she tell the House what representations the Government have made to Israel regarding the recent IDF attack on Kamal Adwan Hospital and the treatment of healthcare workers who are being detained by Israel?

The destruction of medical facilities is putting at further risk the lives of tens of thousands of children facing acute malnutrition in Gaza and who are unable to get access to medical care. I hope the Minister will once again urge all parties to ensure unimpeded access for humanitarian aid, both into and within Gaza. We must all hope that an enduring ceasefire will be established in the coming hours and that the unconscionable disregard of both Hamas and Israel for innocent Palestinian lives will come to an end.

Israel is not only losing many of its friends over the devastation it has wreaked in Gaza; far worse, it is in danger of losing its soul.

International Aid Workers: Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories

Lord Oates Excerpts

Tuesday 26th November 2024 Lords Chamber

Asked by

[Lord Oates]

To ask His Majesty’s Government what representations they are making to the government of Israel about the impact of visa restrictions on international aid workers to that country and the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (Baroness Chapman of Darlington) (Lab)]

My Lords, we are concerned by reports of humanitarian agencies being unable to do their jobs because of visa restrictions. As the Prime Minister has said, there can be no more excuses from the Israeli Government on humanitarian assistance. He and the Foreign Secretary have repeatedly pressed Israeli leaders to deliver on their promise to flood Gaza with aid, so we call on Israel to co-operate fully with the UN and other humanitarian agencies to facilitate visas and make provisions for humanitarians to carry out their work safely and effectively. Restricting their work is not acceptable.

[Lord Oates (LD)]

I thank the Minister for her Answer. Does she agree that, as the occupying power, Israel has a duty under international law to ensure adequate provision of food and medical supplies to the people of Gaza? Does she also agree that both the current and the former Governments have repeatedly urged Israel to comply with those obligations, yet obstruction to humanitarian assistance continues? Is it not time for the Government to make it clear that, unless this changes, sanctions will be applied to the responsible Israeli Ministers?

[Baroness Chapman of Darlington (Lab)]

My Lords, as I have already said, we have concerns. Our priorities for humanitarian action in Gaza are to protect the civilian population with an immediate effort to prepare them for winter, to ensure effective and safe aid distribution in Gaza, to increase the volume and types of goods reaching Gaza and to enable fully the UN and its agencies, including UNRWA.