Health Officials Discuss Loss of Skilled Workers

A large number of health workers are drawn to work abroad in countries such as the UK and Australia.

Health officials from several Commonwealth Asian countries will meet in Singapore to discuss how they can minimise the loss of skilled staff, particularly nurses, to other countries.

Organised by the Commonwealth Secretariat and the Singapore Ministry of Health, the 'Workshop to Develop Strategies and Systems to Manage Health Human Resources' is taking place from 25 to 28 October 2004. It will bring together 30 participants from Bangladesh, India, Malaysia, Pakistan, Singapore and Sri Lanka.

Delegates include senior human resource managers from ministries of health, chief nursing officers, national human resource planners as well as representatives of training institutions and professional associations. Also attending are officials from two 'destination' countries popular with migrant health workers -- the United Kingdom and Australia.

Peggy Vidot, Chief Programme Officer at the Secretariat's Health Section, noted: "The health sectors of many Commonwealth countries have difficulty attracting new recruits and retaining skilled personnel, particularly nurses. A large number of these workers are drawn to work abroad resulting in staff shortages; decreased access to health care; increased burn-out among health staff; and gradual disintegration of public health systems.

"The workshop aims to develop strategies for attracting and retaining workers within the health sector."

Delegates will exchange information on how each of their countries is coping with the issue, share best practice in human resource management, and develop country plans of action to address the loss of health workers. The agenda includes discussion on understanding the causes and consequences of migration; policies for recruitment and retention of health workers; and different approaches to 'managing' migration. Participants will also focus on the Code of Practice for International Recruitment, adopted by Commonwealth health ministers at Geneva, Switzerland, in May 2003. 

Since January 2003, similar workshops have been held for countries in the West, East, Central and Southern African regions and for small island states.