Brain Drain – Viewing Healthcare as a Commodity Instead of as a Priority

Written by Sanika Joshi

Brain Drain is the migration of health personnel within national borders and also across international borders; specialized and trained health professionals migrate from their country of origin in search of better opportunities, higher salaries, and access to advanced technology and resources [1]. In the year 2000, it was found that approximately 175 million people, or 2.9% of the world’s population, live in a country other than the one they were born in [1]. What truly motivates health professionals to move abroad and what policies should be implemented in order to sustain global health?

There are a variety of factors that motivate healthcare professionals to move out of their countries of origin or source countries. The reasons that healthcare professionals move out of their country of origin to another country, that is, the “push” factors are poor working conditions, low wages, lack of incentives, lack of research, unstable political climate, and low quality of life. The reasons that motivate these skilled professionals to move to more developed or more resourced countries are described as “pull” factors. In 1970, the World Health Organization tracked the migration and flow of physicians across the globe and determined that ninety percent of all physicians were moving to the following developed countries: Australia, Canada, United States, Germany, and United Kingdom [1]. The same factors that persuade healthcare professionals to “push” or move of their place of origin are the ones that “pull” them to move across international barriers.

Due to this movement of healthcare workers across nations, developing nations face physician shortages and major financial losses as their public resources are used to train students who will move to developed nations [2]. The migration of healthcare workers especially affects low-resourced countries in sub-Saharan Africa where the ratio of doctors is less than the recommended ratio of the World Health Organization, which is twenty doctors per every 100,000 people [2]. Furthermore, even though developing countries may benefit in the form of remittances, that money is not used to reimburse the healthcare system of the source countries [2]. Thus, global policy change is necessary in order to prevent the source countries from becoming negatively affected by this migration. Some countries such as Thailand and Ireland have found a solution to brain drain by providing more research funding and numerous incentives for professionals to remain in their respective countries [3]. 

International organizations such as the World Health Organization should work together to form some type of bilateral agreement in order to prevent the countries that provide healthcare workers from suffering from financial losses [2]. In essence, brain drain is truly a global tug-of-war of healthcare workers and effective public health policies should be set forth in order to promote global health.

References:

1. Dodani, S., & LaPorte, R. E. (2005). Brain drain from developing countries: how can brain drain be converted into wisdom gain?. Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, 98(11), 487-491.
2. Hamilton, K., & Yau, J. (2004). The Global Tug-of-War for Health Care Workers. Migration Policy Institute.
3. Pang, T., Lansang, M. A., & Haines, A. (2002). Brain drain and health professionals-A global problem needs global solutions. Bmj, 324(7336), 499-500.