Brain-drain of health workers

Published on 13 Feb 2025

Brain-drain of health workers

Brain drain refers to substantial emigration of individuals from one nation to another, seeking better opportunities, working conditions, or quality of life. As per the OECD, around 69,000 Indian trained doctors worked in the UK, US, Canada and Australia in 2017, indicating the brain drain of health professionals.

Reasons for brain drain

✔     Better pay and opportunities: Developed nations often provide more lucrative financial incentives and opportunities, creating a significant pull factor for health workers.

●      Example: A nurse working in India receives around 10000 to 40000 per month, while a nurse in Germany receives around 2.5 lakh per month.

✔     Demand during pandemic: There has been a greater demand for healthcare workers across the world, especially in developed nations.

●      Example: France had offered citizenship to frontline immigrant healthcare workers during the pandemic.

✔     Enhanced working conditions: Includes better infrastructure, advanced medical technologies, and more comprehensive healthcare systems, which can be enticing for health workers seeking an environment that supports their professional growth and development.

●      Example: A per a study conducted by IMA, the Indian medical sector is overstretched with 82% of doctors stressed out in the profession and 46% consider violence against doctors as the main cause of stress.

✔     Economic stability: Political instability, economic crises and uncertainty in the source country, can motivate them to seek employment in countries with more stable economic environments.

●      Example: More than 50% nurses are employed in the private sector in India, where many of them are on a contract basis, offering less income security.

✔     Lack of opportunities in the home country: Limited career opportunities, lack of specialized fields for professional growth in the home country may encourage health workers to explore options abroad.

●      Example: According to the National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO) Health Workforce Survey 2017-18, around 30% of the doctors with adequate qualifications are not part of the current health workforce.

✔     Migration policies: Countries with open migration policies, streamlined visa processes to attract skilled professionals may become preferred destinations for health workers.

●      Example: Immigration policies of nations like New Zealand have been liberal, which attract health professionals from India.

Impact of brain drain

✔     Impact on source countries

●      Increased workload: Shortages of healthcare workers may result in increased workloads for remaining, compromising the quality and accessibility of healthcare services.

o   Example: According to a report by Health Issues India, doctors in India, sometimes work around 80 to 100 hours per week to manage emergency cases.

●      Reduced specialised care: Leads to the decrease in the availability of specialised medical services, as professionals with specialised training and expertise have moved out.

o   Example: According to the government data, there is an 80% shortage of surgeons, physicians, gynaecologists at community health centres in rural India.

●      Economic loss: The investment made by source countries in the education and training of healthcare professionals gets lost when these professionals leave the country.

●      Health disparity: Shortage of healthcare workers results in concentration of the workers in the urban, well off areas, leading to disparity in healthcare.

o   Example: According to a report released by KPMG and the Organisation of Pharmaceutical Producers of India (OPPI), nearly 80% of the professionals offer their service in urban areas, leading to poor rural health.

✔     Impact on destination countries

●      Access to skilled workers: Destination countries benefit from the influx of skilled health workers, addressing shortages and contributing to the delivery of healthcare services.

o   Example: In 2000, New Zealand had 1 doctor for every 400 citizens, while now it has dropped to 1 per every 275 citizens.

●      Economic contribution: Immigrant health workers often contribute to the economy of the destination country through their work and taxes.

o   Example: Healthcare sector contributes to around 10% of Australia's economy and employs around 13% of its working population.

●      Cultural exchange: The arrival of health workers from diverse backgrounds can enhance cultural exchange, contribute to a more diverse healthcare workforce and improve cross-cultural understanding in health settings.

●      Resentment from natives: The increased competition from the immigrants reduces the job opportunities for the natives, thus leading to animosity towards them.

o   Example: Green card backlogs for health professionals in the USA due to anti-immigration sentiments.

How to prevent brain drain

✔     Improve working conditions: Providing a positive and supportive work environment can contribute to staff retention.

✔     Competitive compensation: Offer salaries and benefits to healthcare professionals to make their remuneration more attractive compared to opportunities abroad.

✔     Invest in professional development: Provide opportunities for continuous professional development, training and specialization within the home country.

✔     Create career advancement opportunities: Include promotions, leadership training and recognition programs.

✔     Enhance healthcare infrastructure: Ensure the health workers have access to modern facilities, equipment and technology to deliver quality healthcare services.

So, it's high time for the Indian government to not only increase public spending but also increase the spending on healthcare professionals to prevent brain drain in the health sector.

Tags:
Social Justice

Keywords:
Brain-drain Migration

Syllabus:
General Studies Paper 2

Topics:
Social Justice