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Secretariat to Host Joint Conference on Nurse Migration

16 February 2006

"Nurses who migrate for professional development opportunities often follow educational programmes which they could not get access to in their countries for whatever reason." - Peggy Vidot, Health Adviser, Commonwealth Secretariat

The Commonwealth Secretariat, along with the International Centre on Nurse Migration and the Royal College of Nursing, is hosting a two-day conference to explore ways to fully integrate international nurses into new workplaces. 'Creating Positive Practice Environments for the International Nurse' will be held on 20-21 February 2006 at Marlborough House, the Secretariat's headquarters in London, UK. The conference will focus on how health systems make the most of the knowledge, skills and potential of international nurses and how to ensure fair treatment of migrating nurses.

The conference document, 'Positive Practice Environments: Key Considerations for the Development of a Framework to Support the Integration of International Nurses', aims to provide an overview of the influences of international policies and agreements, the social and personal benefits and costs of migration for international nurses, and outlines a possible framework to develop positive practice environments to support long-term integration and the retention of this valuable resource.

Included in the speakers list is Peggy Vidot, Health Adviser with the Secretariat, who will explore how a learning environment in the UK can benefit developing countries when return migration is facilitated.

"Nurses who migrate for professional development opportunities often follow educational programmes which they could not get access to in their countries for whatever reason," said Ms Vidot. "When the international nurse is provided with professional and career development during the period they spend in the UK, this can greatly enhance the contribution they make to the health service on their return to their home country."

The issue of international nurse migration became prominent in 1998 during the Commonwealth Health Ministers Meeting in Barbados. In 2003, health ministers issued a Commonwealth Code of Practice for the International Recruitment of Health Workers. While the document is not legally binding, it gives suggestions to deal with the problem of international recruitment of health workers. The code is intended to discourage the targeted recruitment of health workers from countries which are themselves experiencing shortages.

"This is the first conference of its kind," stated Ms Vidot. "We hope to stress that fairness should be the guiding principle when it comes to the international recruitment of health workers."

 

CNIS - Commonwealth News and Information Service Issue 272, 15 February 2006