Government urged to stop third world brain drain
The Government is being urged to compensate third world countries when their doctors and nurses come to work in the NHS.
A new report from Save the Children and Medact warns that the shortage of health professionals in the UK means that nurses and doctors from across the world are flocking to the UK to work in the NHS.
The charity claims that this migration is contributing to the “collapse of health systems”, notably in sub-Saharan Africa and is hampering the fight against HIV/Aids.
For example, it estimates that the UK has saved £65 million in training costs by recruiting nurses from Ghana, with the work delivered by Ghanaian nurses and doctors in the UK valued at £39 million a year.
Although it accepts that the Government has sought to address the problem by introducing a code of practice preventing the NHS from actively recruiting from developing countries, the charity says this does not address the underlying issues behind migration.
And it demands that the UK government compensates developing countries that lose staff to the NHS.
Mike Aaronson, Save the Children director general, said: “Many African countries suffer severe poverty and have limited funds available for basic services like education and health. It is vulnerable children who suffer disproportionately when these services are failing. It is shameful that many poor countries are spending millions of pounds training nurses and doctors to prop up the UK’s National Health Service.”
Responding to the report, a Department of Health spokesperson told politics.co.uk that the NHS was leading the world in the ethical recruitment of healthcare professionals.
He said that the NHS has a “strict list” of countries it does not actively recruit from and had brokered an ethical recruiting agreement with the independent healthcare sector. And the spokesperson said that the Department for International Development has spent £560 million in the last five years supporting health system development in Africa, including the trainings of doctors and nurses.
He added: “The NHS is a world renowned health service and many overseas health professionals will want to benefit from the career opportunities it offers, these individuals frequently then return to use there enhanced skills and knowledge to the benefit of their home healthcare system. However if healthcare professionals are determined to come here to work we cannot legally deny them that opportunity.”
But the Conservatives said that the Government must start to reverse the trend in overseas recruitment.
Andrew Lansley, Shadow Health Secretary, said: “The long term solution is for the UK to train its own doctors and nurses. Conservatives would use aid budgets support health systems in developing countries”.
