| Affiliation: | (1) Scientist, Department of Health Service Provision, World Health Organization, Geneva;(2) Demographer, Department of Health Service Provision, World Health Organization, Geneva;(3) Health Economist, Department of Health Service Provision, World Health Organization, Geneva;(4) Coordinator of Human Resources for Health, Department of Health Service Provision, World Health Organization, Geneva;(5) Associate Professor and former Deputy Director, Social Medicine Institute, University of the State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil;(6) Director, Department of Health Service Provision, World Health Organization, Geneva;(7) Professor, Faculty of Social Sciences and Health Care, Queen Margaret University College, Edinburgh, United Kingdom |
| Abstract: | It is estimated that in 2000 almost 175 million people, or 2.9% of the world's population, were living outside their country of birth, compared to 100 million, or 1.8% of the total population, in 1995. As the global labour market strengthens, it is increasingly highly skilled professionals who are migrating. Medical practitioners and nurses represent a small proportion of highly skilled workers who migrate, but the loss of health human resources for developing countries can mean that the capacity of the health system to deliver health care equitably is compromised. However, data to support claims on both the extent and the impact of migration in developing countries is patchy and often anecdotal, based on limited databases with highly inconsistent categories of education and skills. |
