The World Health Organization confirmed today, Tuesday, that the migration of healthcare workers from the poorest countries to wealthier nations is increasing, as rich nations seek to replace the workforce lost due to the coronavirus pandemic, sometimes through active recruitment campaigns.
The organization stated that the trend of nurses and other healthcare workers leaving parts of Africa or Southeast Asia for better opportunities in wealthier countries in the Middle East or Europe had already been occurring before the pandemic, but has intensified amid heightened global competition.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the Director-General of the World Health Organization, emphasized that "healthcare workers are the foundation of every health system, but there are 55 countries with some of the most fragile health systems globally that do not have enough healthcare workers and are losing many of these workers due to migration to other countries."
Jim Campbell, Director of the Health Workforce Department at the organization, confirmed that approximately 115,000 healthcare workers worldwide died due to COVID during the pandemic period, and the majority left their jobs due to work-related stress and depression. He added that more than 100 countries have witnessed protests and strikes since the beginning of the pandemic, including the UK and the US, and called for the protection of the workforce to ensure individuals have access to healthcare.
