African nations want developed world to pay compensation for poaching health-care workers

South African-sponsored resolution to be presented to the World Health Assembly

Rich nations that target health professionals from the developing world might soon have to compensate the countries it is poaching from.

A draft resolution on international migration of health personnel, sponsored by South Africa, will soon be presented at the World Health Assembly in Geneva, according to the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC).

African health ministers are concerned about rich countries stealing medical professionals from the continent. The poaching is making it extremely difficult to strengthen health systems in Africa, they said.

Among other things, they want rich countries to compensate developing nations when they lure doctors and nurses away.

“The compensation that we have been talking about, and this is something that we still need to flash out, was that the developed countries in particular because they don’t have the resources and they don’t have good HR plans, if they come and recruit from Africa, surely they must compensate Africa on one form or the other,” Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, the newly elected vice-president of Africa to the World Health Assembly, told the SABC.

The SABC said Canada, the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia and Austria are some of the nations that are poaching health workers.

More than 20 countries have already signed the South African-sponsored resolution, but there is some disagreement in Africa itself over whether nations should sign on. For example, Botswana’s health system employees a lot of Zimbabweans and it is concerned it might have to compensate Zimbabwe under the scheme.

Lesego Matsumi, Botswana’s health minister, said it should be made clear that only developed countries have to pay compensation.

“I believe that the nature of compensation should be in terms of training,” Matsumi told the SABC. “Where we say to them for every nurse that you take, go train two of our people. I don’t really believe much in monetary compensation.”

To read the full story, login below.

Not a subscriber?

Start your subscription today!