Definition of Brain Drain

Brain Drain: Permanent migration of skilled group of population from one country to another.

Brain Drain is:

• migration of skilled human resources
• permanent migration
• long-term migration

Brain Drain is not:

• migration of unskilled labor forces
• temporary migration
• movement for trade, education, etc.

Causes

Source Country

• limited educational/employment opportunity
• low salary and renumeration
• unemployment/underemployment

Recipient Country

• attractive salary
• opportunity for further training/research
• easier and modern lifestyle
• congenial immigration policy

Contributing factors:

• conflict and war
• migration for better opportunity
• displacement of people and health professionals
• asylum seeker
• individual factors
• ambitions/desires
• globalization

Magnitude of the problem

Emigration

• 60% of physicians from Ghana leave the country
• 70% of physicians from Zimbabwe leave the country

Immigration

• 65% of medical staff in the UK are of foreign origin
• 17% of consultants in the UK are of foreign origin

The trend is increasing globally:

• The number of nurses migrating from Africa to UK doubled between 2001/2 and 2002/3.
• In Nepal, an estimated 20% of graduates from medical school work abroad.

Effects

Individual

• financial benefit
• opportunities

Recipient countries

• acquisition of cheap human resources

Source countries

• inadequacy of health professionals
• disruption of services
• economic loss

Project Draft

A preliminary assessment of health care professional emigration from developing to developed countries. A pilot study conducted by student members of IPPNW.

• Survey medical students in our IPPNW chapters in Africa, Latin America, the Middle East, and South Asia as to their plans after graduation
• Determine the context of health professional employment within the respective countries (opportunities, income, and continuing education)
• Assess feasibility of emigration and admittance to health programs in Europe and North America.
• Have medical student chapters in Europe and North America survey foreign medical graduates studying or working there as to their reasons for immigrating and long-term plans (whether or not they plan to return, when and reasons for this decision)
• Ascertain the social and economic impact of healthcare professional emigration
• Compare and contrast data obtained from 4 distinct regions: Latin America, the Middle East, SouthAsia, and Africa from both the perspective of those wanting to leave and those whom have already left.

A comprehensive one-page survey will be made available to our medical student chapters in all 4 of the above-mentioned regions for administration among their fellow classmates. Another survey will be made available to our student members in Europe and North America for administration among foreign medical graduates within their teaching hospitals. Students will be asked to collect the information and submit their data to a central database which will be used for analysis.