Check migration of health workers, WHO urges FG

The World Health Organisation, WHO, has called on both the Federal and state governments to, as a matter of national interest, check the migration of trained health workers to other countries with a view to curbing its underlying negative effect on the health sector.

National Data Officer, WHO’s Code of Practice on International Recruitment of Health Personnel, Dr. Tony Udoh, made the call during the second stakeholders meeting on Project Brain Drain to Brain Gain, organised by African Centre for Global Health and Social Transformation held in Calabar, Cross River State.

Udoh stated that the Federal and state governments should address the issue of health workers’ migration through appropriate policy and mutual bilateral relationship with affected countries.

He said that the project was a culmination of concerns from Africa and some developing countries about the trend of loss of trained health workers moving from Africa to developed countries, a situation which he said needed to be stopped.

On her part, Cross River State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Inyang Asibong, identified the migration of the health workforce as a complex issue created by source countries due to poor management, insufficient remuneration, low motivation and uneven performance of health workers.

Vanguard