Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2007 Jun;42(3 Pt 2):1373-88.
doi: 10.1111/j.1475-6773.2007.00712.x.

Migration of nurses from sub-Saharan Africa: a review of issues and challenges

Delanyo Dovlo  1
Affiliations

Migration of nurses from sub-Saharan Africa: a review of issues and challenges

Delanyo Dovlo. Health Serv Res. 2007 Jun.

Abstract

Objective: To assess the impact of out-migration of nurses on the health systems in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).

Setting: The countries of SSA.

Design and methods: Review of secondary sources: existing publications and country documents on the health workforce; documents prepared for the Joint Learning Initiative Global Human Resources for Health report, the World Health Organization (AFRO) synthesis on migration, and the International Council of Nurses series on the global nursing situation. Analysis of associated data.

Principal findings: The state of nursing practice in SSA appears to have been impacted negatively by migration. Available (though inadequate) quantitative data on stocks and flows, qualitative information on migration issues and trends, and on the main strategies being employed in both source and recipient countries indicate that the problem is likely to grow over the next 5-10 years.

Conclusions: Multiple actions are needed at various policy levels in both source and receiving countries to moderate negative effects of nurse emigration in developing countries in Africa; however, critically, source countries must establish more effective policies and strategies.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. African Union. “The Role of the African Diaspora in the Development of Their Countries of Origin”. First Ordinary Session. LSC/9 (XXVI). Labour and Social Affairs Commission of Mauritius. Port Louis, Mauritius. April 10–15, 2003 (Obtained from Prof. E. Buch, Health Advisor NEPAD)
    1. Awases M, Gbary A, Nyoni J, Chatora R. World Health Organization WHO-AFRO DHS Brazzaville; 2004. [May 17, 2005]. “Migration of Health Professionals in Six Countries: A Synthesis Report”. Available at http://www.afro.who.int/dsd/migration6countriesfinal.pdf.
    1. Buchan J, Dovlo D. “International Recruitment of Health Workers to the UK: A Report for DFID. March 2004”. 2004. [May 14, 2005]. Available at http://www.dfidhealthrc.org/Shared/publications/reports/int_rec/int-rec-....
    1. Buchan J, Sochalski J. The Migration of Nurses: Trends and Policies. Bulletin of the World Health Organization. 2004;82:587–94. - PMC - PubMed
    1. The Commonwealth Regional Health Community Secretariat (CRHCS) for East, Central and Southern Africa. “Strengthening Human Resources Capacity for Effective Health Systems in (East, Central and Southern) Africa”. July 2003, Arusha, Tanzania.

Publication types