Medical Brain Drain Research Articles

Navigating brain drain: understanding public discourse on legislation to retain medical professionals in Nigeria.

Nigeria is witnessing a mass emigration of its active labor force to more advanced economies, just like other developing countries. Approximately half of licensed medical doctors in Nigeria have emigrated, contributing to a widening doctors-to-patients ratio. In response to this concerning trend, in 2023, a legislator introduced a bill to restrain doctors from leaving Nigeria upon completing their studies by withholding their full license for five years. The public, including health professionals, criticized the bill. This study investigates the public discourse on the bill by extracting and analyzing responses published in newspaper articles, blogs, tweets, and LinkedIn posts. The analysis revealed that, while a few politicians supported the bill, the general populace opposed it due to perceived inconsistencies, a lack of focus on the core causes of migration, allegations of political elite's hypocrisy, concerns about human rights violations and unemployment. By conducting this research, this article sheds light on the complexities of public opinion surrounding the proposed legislation, providing valuable insights into the multifaceted challenges associated with addressing the medical brain drain in Nigeria. The article contributes to the ongoing debate on the migratory trends of highly skilled workers from developing countries to advanced economies.

Diagnosing the Issue: Understanding and Combating Medical Brain Drain in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Abstract This study investigates emigration patterns among healthcare professionals in Bosnia and Herzegovina, examining the underlying reasons for emigration and proposing actionable solutions to curb this trend. A mixed-methods approach is employed, combining quantitative data from surveys administered to medical and health studies students with qualitative insights from interviews with governmental officials, language educators, and statistical agencies. The findings reveal significant dissatisfaction with socio-economic and political conditions, prompting healthcare professionals to seek opportunities abroad. Major reasons for going abroad include political instability, low wages, and poor working conditions, while better pay and career opportunities are attracting factors. While the study is limited by the lack of comprehensive official statistics on emigration, the implications of this research emphasize the need for policy interventions aiming to improve local working conditions and reform educational systems. The study provides valuable insights for policymakers and stakeholders to effectively address the issue of brain drain.

Medical brain drain: A critical challenge to Pakistan's healthcare sector.

Madam, Medical brain drain describes a condition where highly skilled healthcare workers leave their country of origin to work overseas in search of better working conditions, higher pay, or more opportunities for career advancement leading to deprivation of medical professionals and a loss of expertise and talent (1). Unfortunately, the exodus of skilled individuals from Pakistan is jeopardises country's intellectual assets and demands immediate attention. Skilled healthcare workers shortage is worsening in Pakistan due to the high number of talented professionals migrating for better career opportunities in the foreign land. According to the Bureau of Emigration and Overseas Employment in 2022 alone, approximately 765,000 Pakistanis, including 2,500 physicians, left the country, highlighting the severity of the situation (2) The medical profession is highly regarded in Pakistan and attracts a significant number of people. Despite this, Pakistan is among the 57 countries that lack sufficient human health resources to fulfil its healthcare requirements and objectives. The country is confronted with a considerable discrepancy in the ratio of doctors to patients which stands at 1:1300, significantly below the ratio of 1:1000 recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) (3) The degradation of the healthcare system, shortage of residency positions and lower salaries during a period of high inflation, coupled with cultural biases and undervaluation of professions like nursing have led to a shortage of healthcare staff. Moreover, societal expectations for women to prioritize their domestic duties contribute to the disproportionate number of female doctors leaving the medical field. This further burdens the healthcare system by increasing the workload for the remaining healthcare professionals (4) Brain drain hampers economic growth and innovation by robbing the nation of its skilled professionals and their expertise. This issue can be addressed by adopting a comprehensive approach such. Improving the healthcare infrastructure and working conditions, increasing residency positions and salaries and providing better job opportunities could help retain competent doctors. Encouraging research on brain drain can aid policymakers in developing tailored policies based on the country's needs. These measures can help Pakistan build a robust healthcare system and provide quality medical services to its people.

Nigeria debates mandatory domestic service to stem the medical brain drain

Nigeria debates mandatory domestic service to stem the medical brain drain

Are Turkish doctors in deep water? The role of professional ethics and factors affecting the medical brain drain: A qualitative study from Turkey.

With the increased rate of the Turkish medical brain drain (MDB) in recent years, there is a need for more comprehensive studies to elucidate its vague migratory factors. The aim of this paper is to try to narrow that gap by analyzing present impacts of the MDB in Turkey and to evaluate if these aspects were driven by professional ethical values, and if so, what ethical principles they were based on. In-depth interviews were conducted with 19 doctors from various backgrounds, followed by a thematic analysis. The MDB in Turkey demonstrated a multifactorial structure, with prominent push factors that are intertwined at macro-meso-micro levels. The effort to maintain the principles of beneficence, non-maleficence, and protecting professional autonomy were the most important in the context of professional ethics. Only deep-rooted regulations might ensure the prevention of the MDB in Turkey and the prospect of doctors returning in the future. Conclusively, the recent criticisms the MDB has been garnering may inspire improvements in deteriorating human and health rights in Turkey.

Scaling up numbers and competency of graduating medical and dental students in Nigeria: Need to improve medical trainers' competency in teaching.

With the increasing medical brain drain in Nigeria, there is a need to train and graduate more doctors to fill in the gaps created to mitigate the effects. To meet this goal, the trainers need to evolve and have the competency to deliver quality training for many more enrollees in medical schools. This study aimed to gather information about the perception of medical teachers' need to obtain certification in medical education and what this will achieve in scaling up the competency and number of graduating medical doctors. Medical teachers in Nigeria participated in this mixed (quantitative and qualitative) study. Four hundred medical consultants and teachers were randomly selected and sent a semi-structured pre-validated questionnaire; also, a panel discussion was conducted with six medical teachers with other special assignments in universities and postgraduate colleges. Quantitative data were analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) 24, differences in proportions were calculated using the Chi-square test, and P values <0.05 were considered significant. Two hundred and thirty-eight (59.5%) participants completed the form, 63 (26.5%) had practiced for <5 years, and 114 (47.9%) had >10 years of practice experience. A majority of 168 (70.6%) were physician lecturers in federal or state universities, and 15.5% had obtained certifications of any kind in medical education. Over 80% perceived that medical education training should not be a prerequisite to teach, but a similar percentage believed that faculty medical education training can help scale up the training competency and the number of graduating medical doctors. To scale up the number and competency of graduating medical doctors, medical teachers need to acquire core teaching competency. The respondents and discussants believe that when these core teaching competencies have been fully developed, it will be easier to increase the number of medical students' enrollees, teach them their curriculum through innovations, and graduate them with improved competencies.

Brain Drain among Nigerian Doctors: Country’s Implications and Policy Responses

Over the past two decades, the migration of medical doctors has shown remarkable trends. In Nigeria, the medical profession stands out as one of the most mobile, highly skilled occupations and grapples with severe labor shortages. This study delves into two primary aspects. Firstly, it examines the main theoretical contributions and historical evolution of two phenomena: brain drain and medical brain drain. Secondly, it aims to raise inquiries, provide insights, pinpoint critical concerns, and propose potential solutions to curtail the emigration of medical doctors from Nigeria to developed nations. Secondary data source through desktop research was employed. Descriptive and explanatory research designs were used with mixed method research methodology involving qualitative and quantitative methods. Our results reveal that the attractive remuneration of doctors, a pleasant working environment, and adequate provisions for career advancement in the destination countries are among the pull factors for doctors' brain drain. In like manner, the surge in demand for healthcare services and improvements in medical technology in the receiving country act as driving forces behind the migration of medical doctors from developing nations, such as Nigeria. Keywords: Brain Drain; Migration; Poor Wages; Opportunities; Remuneration

Brain Drain among Nigerian Doctors: Country’s Implications and Policy Responses

Over the past two decades, the migration of medical doctors has shown remarkable trends. In Nigeria, the medical profession stands out as one of the most mobile, highly skilled occupations and grapples with severe labor shortages. This study delves into two primary aspects. Firstly, it examines the main theoretical contributions and historical evolution of two phenomena: brain drain and medical brain drain. Secondly, it aims to raise inquiries, provide insights, pinpoint critical concerns, and propose potential solutions to curtail the emigration of medical doctors from Nigeria to developed nations. Secondary data source through desktop research was employed. Descriptive and explanatory research designs were used with mixed method research methodology involving qualitative and quantitative methods. Our results reveal that the attractive remuneration of doctors, a pleasant working environment, and adequate provisions for career advancement in the destination countries are among the pull factors for doctors' brain drain. In like manner, the surge in demand for healthcare services and improvements in medical technology in the receiving country act as driving forces behind the migration of medical doctors from developing nations, such as Nigeria. Keywords: Brain Drain; Migration; Poor Wages; Opportunities; Remuneration

Mitigating medical brain drain: the role of developmental HRM and the focus on opportunities in reducing the self-initiated expatriation of young professionals

Although ‘brain drain’ from emerging economies is a well-documented problem, research on how Human Resource Management (HRM) can potentially address it is still scarce. Based on Signaling Theory, we argue that developmental HRM practices in home countries reduce self-initiated expatriation (SIE) of young healthcare professionals by increasing their focus on opportunities in their home country. Additionally, we hypothesize that individual financial stability as a personal resource constitutes an important boundary condition, as developmental HRM’s positive effect on the focus on opportunities and its indirect negative effect on SIE intention may be even stronger for individuals with lower financial resources. We tested and found support for our hypotheses using a sample of 184 junior doctors in Lithuania in a time-lagged study. By bridging the HRM and SIE literature, our study extends the existing knowledge about the outcomes of HRM and highlights the importance of home country HRM in explaining SIE intention above and beyond its traditionally considered antecedents. In this way, our study has major theoretical and practical implications for decision-makers at organizational and national levels in managing brain drain from emerging economies.

The Unspotted Impact of Global Inflation and Economic Crisis on The Nigerian Healthcare System

Inflation, the rise in prices of goods and services, has been on an exponential rise over the past few years globally. The excess inflation and the devaluation of the Nigerian currency has aggravated the problem of poor healthcare funding in the country. The overlooked influences that global inflation has had on the Nigerian healthcare system were highlighted in this work. Some of the influences included increased healthcare costs leading to demand-related problems, increased morbidity, reduced quality of healthcare delivery despite the increased cost, understaffing, the inefficiency of healthcare workers, medical brain drain as well as dwindling of research activities. In line with these consequences, it has become imperative for the government to take action to curb the growing menace of inflation and its impacts, through policy development and implementation as well as increasing resource allocation to the health sector.

Medical Brain Drain in Nigeria: A Health System Leadership Crisis

The problem of shortage of healthcare professionals in sub-Saharan Africa including Nigeria which has about 25% of the global disease burden but less than 2% of the healthcare workforce has been further compounded by the medical brain drain. The medical brain drain in Nigeria could be attributed to the failure of health system leadership in the country that stems from poor insight and neglect of the problem. Nigeria’s healthcare professionals have been migrating in drones to the United Kingdoms, United States, Canada, Australia and other developed nations. To stem this tide, there is a need for the government at all levels to prioritize this menace on the political agenda and work in conjunction with healthcare institutions administrators, other leaders and stakeholders within the health sector to promote and improve welfare, working conditions, job security and satisfaction among healthcare workers as no other category of workers are so essential to the well-being of the people.

Medical Brain Drain – Assessing the Role of Job Attributes and Individual Traits

Medical Brain Drain – Assessing the Role of Job Attributes and Individual Traits

MODAL AUXILIARIES IN SELECTED NEWSPAPER EDITORIALS ON MEDICAL BRAIN DRAIN IN NIGERIA

This paper explores the conscious deployment of modal auxiliary verbs by the media to project stances and opinions on the topical issue of medical brain drain in Nigeria. Data, which comprised a total of 12 editorials on the issue of brain drain in the Nigerian health sector, were sourced from four Nigerian newspapers (Punch, The Guardian, Daily Trust, The Sun) published between 2018-2022. The identified modal verbs were categorised based on Palmer’s (1986; 1990) classification of modality: deontic, epistemic and dynamic. The modal auxiliaries are used to stir up the emotion of concern, project the duty of government and predictions about doctors’ exodus attempts, and communicate the disposition of the government towards the issue. The editorials are marked with modal auxiliary verbs intended to draw the attention of the public to the responsibilities of the government and the possible outcomes of taking (or not) necessary actions to tackle the menace of medical brain drain.

Plugging the medical brain drain

More than a decade since the publication of The Lancet's Commission on education of health professionals for the 21st century,1 Julio Frenk and colleagues now examine the challenges and opportunities for educating health professionals after the COVID-19 pandemic in a new Health Policy paper in The Lancet.2 Their analysis includes discussion of chronic shortages of health-care workers globally. Frenk and colleagues report that in the past 10 years globally, the annual number of medical graduates has almost doubled and the annual number of nursing graduates has tripled,2 contributing to a current global health workforce estimated at 65·1 million.

Reciprocity and the duty to stay

ABSTRACT Some restrictionist arguments justifying the duty to stay as a means of addressing medical brain drain have relied on reciprocity as the moral basis for their policy proposals. In this essay, I argue that such reciprocity-based justifications for the duty to stay ignore crucial conditions of fittingness as relates to the funding of medical training.

Populations in Crisis: Migration Plans and Determinants Among Medical Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The recent pandemic has had a considerable impact on sociodemographic development and generated a new interest in human mobility. The current study aims to examine the effects of sociodemographic development and the push-pull of brain drain as well as COVID-19-related factors on Greek medical students’ intentions to emigrate. A total of 531 undergraduate medical students completed an online survey during the second transmission wave of the pandemic in Greece (from October to December 2020). The results showed that many students were considering emigrating after their graduation. A multiple regression analysis revealed that males and younger students presented a higher likelihood of emigration. The low absorption rate of physicians in Greece, lack of career prospects, low earnings, general frustration with the governance, and the cultural mindset of the Greek population were predictors of the medical brain drain. In many cases, COVID-19 strengthened the resolve to emigrate as most medical students did not consider the pandemic to be a deterrent to seeking better luck abroad.

Peer Review of “Medical Brain Drain From Southeastern Europe: Using Digital Demography to Forecast Health Worker Emigration”

Peer Review of “Medical Brain Drain From Southeastern Europe: Using Digital Demography to Forecast Health Worker Emigration”

Author’s Responses to Peer Reviews of “Medical Brain Drain From Southeastern Europe: Using Digital Demography to Forecast Health Worker Emigration”

Author’s Responses to Peer Reviews of “Medical Brain Drain From Southeastern Europe: Using Digital Demography to Forecast Health Worker Emigration”

Medical Brain Drain From Southeastern Europe: Using Digital Demography to Forecast Health Worker Emigration.

This paper shows that the tools of digital demography, such as Google Trends, can be used for determining, estimating, and predicting the migration of health care workers (HWs), in this case, from Croatia and the Western Balkans (WB) to Germany and Austria. This study aims to test the usefulness of Google Trends indexes to forecast HW migration from Croatia and the WB to Germany and Austria. The paper analyzes recent trends in HW mobility in Europe and focuses specifically on mobility patterns among medical doctors and nurses using digital demography. Without increased emigration in the last 10 years, Croatia and the WB would have 50% more HWs today, and this staff is now crucial in the fight against a pandemic. Furthermore, the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to the increase in emigration. A particular problem in analyzing the emigration of HCWs from Croatia and the WB is that there is no system for monitoring this process. Official data is up to 3 years late and exists only for persons deregistered from the state system. Furthermore, during the pandemic, the "normal" ways of data collection are simply too slow. The primary methodological concept of our approach is to monitor the digital trace of language searches with the Google Trends analytical tool. To standardize the data, we requested the data from January 2010 to December 2020 and divided the keyword frequency for each migration-related query. We compared this search frequency index with official statistics to prove the significance of the results and correlations, and test the model's predictive potential. All tested migration-related search queries, which indicate HCWs' emigration planning, showed a positive linear association between Google index and data from official statistics (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development: Serbia R2=0.3381, Bosnia and Herzegovina [B&H] R2=0.2722, Croatia R2=0.4515). Migration-related search activities such as "job application + nurses" from Croatia correlate strongly with official German data for emigrated HWs from Croatia, Serbia, and B&H. Decreases in Google searches were correlated with the decrease in the emigration of HWs. Thus, this method allows reliable forecasts for the future. This paper highlights that the World Health Organization's list of countries with HWs shortages should be updated to include Croatia and the countries from the WB. The issue of the European Union drawing HWs from the EU periphery (Croatia) and nearby countries (B&H, Serbia) clearly shows a clash between the EU freedom of movement and the right to health care and a need to ensure a health care workforce in all European regions. Understanding why HWs emigrate from Croatia and the WB, and the consequences of this process are crucial to enabling state agencies and governments to develop optimal intervention strategies to retain medical staff. The benefit of this method is reliable estimates that can enable a better response to a possible shortage of HWs and protect the functioning of the health system. The freedom of movement of workers in the EU must be supplemented with a common pension and health care system in the EU.

Peer Review of “Medical Brain Drain from Southeastern Europe: Using Digital Demography to Forecast Health Worker Emigration”

Peer Review of “Medical Brain Drain from Southeastern Europe: Using Digital Demography to Forecast Health Worker Emigration”