Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #107481

Eric A. Friedman, JD and Leonard S. Rubenstein, JD. Physicians for Human Rights, 1156 15th Street NW, Suite 1001, Washington, DC 22301, 202 728 5335, lrubenstein@phrusa.org

African countries will be unable to achieve the health-related Millennium Development Goals without a massive increase in the size of their health workforces, as borne out by global calculations and studies in Tanzania, Chad, and elsewhere. One major cause for the shortage is the migration of health professionals from African countries to high-income countries, including the United States. Physicians for Human Rights and a growing number of other organizations are encouraging national governments and donors to make the massive investments in health workers and health systems, and promoting the policy changes by low-income countries, donors, and international financial institutions that will enable African countries to recruit and retain the needed number of health workers. Key investments include increasing health worker salaries, ensuring universal safety precautions, and improving human resource management and planning. Major policy change include a shift in donor support for health worker training from in-service training to pre-service training, increased use of mid-level health workers and community health workers, an end to active recruitment from many developing countries by high-income countries, and an adjustment of macroeconomic policies to ensure that budget ceilings do not block necessary health sector spending. In 2005, health and human rights advocates are seeking to raise the human resource issue in various forums, including the G8 meeting in July 2005, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and the US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. The latest information on these efforts will be reported, and possibilities for the upcoming year discussed. [NOTE: This presentation is part of an IH Section PANEL on DEVELOPING COUNTRY HEALTH WORKER MIGRATION organized with Amy Hagopian]

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, the participant (learner) in this session will be able to

• Articulate the relationship between the health worker shortage in Africa and the Millennium Development Goals and why the addressing the shortage must be a top priority.
• Identify multiple ways that they can take action to support efforts, particularly in Africa, to recruit and retain more skilled health care workers.
• Identify how the need to address the health worker shortage is beginning to impact policy, and further policy changes that are necessary.
• Explain the danger for increased recruitment of nurses from Africa to the United States in the coming years.

Related Web page: www.phrusa.org/campaigns/aids/pdf/braindrain.pdf

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.

Recorded presentation