Introduction

Lack of healthcare workers is a global problem especially in developing countries, such as countries in the sub-Saharan African region, have been badly damaged by the emigration of their health professionals. There are 57 countries with a critical shortage of healthcare workers, a deficit of 2.4 million doctors and nurses. Africa has 2.3 healthcare workers per 1000 population, compared with the Americas, which have 24.8 healthcare workers per 1000 population1. The World Health Organization says that there is currently a global shortage of more than seven million health workers and that number could rise to nearly 13 million by 2035. 

Health workers must have the profile, skills and behavior that creates trust in the population and promotes demand for quality healthcare services. These criteria include that students for training as health professionals must have specific characteristics, such as the ability to communicate, be sensitive to cultural differences and work as a team. In most countries the selection of students is by academic grades; although this is a good predictor of future academic performance, it does not show anything about future professional performance, one of these goals are to test medical students with not very good educational background but by their professional performance an example this Is In South Africa, there have been successful examples of more Pre‐admission development programs that aim to produce competitive applicants in developing countries. This is even an advantage to reduce the unemployment rate.

 

Emigration flows can reach high levels from some low-income countries where working conditions are described as “poor", which define the conditions under which foreign workers, typically physicians and nurses, a solution for this Is that health workers will be employed in destination countries (such as in developing countries), as well as the benefits both countries would gain from the agreement. An example of this agreement is that between Germany and Vietnam, signed in 2012, in which gaps are addressed in medical care nurses in the destination country (Germany), and training and employment opportunities are provided for health organization of the source country (Vietnam). Outflows from higher-income countries can be beneficial during periods of high unemployment or underemployment (in this case lack of health workers), which was the case during times of difficult economic conditions in Greece, Portugal and Spain.2 

References :

1 Citeseerx.ist.psu.edu. 2020. [online] Available at: <http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.515.186&rep=rep1&type=pdf> 

2 Cometto, G., Buchan, J. and Dussault, G., 2020. Developing The Health Workforce For Universal Health Coverage.  

ROCHELLE BERTHA D'SOUZA