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SOUTH AFRICA TO NEGOTIATE HEALTHCARE PERSONNEL DRAIN

August 8, 2005

South Africa is to stem the loss of staff in its healthcare system by imposing limits on the amount of time qualified healthcare professionals can work abroad. Specifically, the South African Health Ministry will negotiate with countries such as Australia and the UK, where many South African health workers travel, in order to stem the loss of doctors and nurses.

A study carried out by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has revealed that in 2001 there were more than 21,000 South-African born health workers employed in five OECD member countries, including the US. The figures are especially worrying, considering that in the same year there were only 11,332 doctors and 41,617 nurses overall working in the public sector in South Africa.

The reasons for the exodus are not only limited to the more attractive salaries offered abroad. Other factors include the country's perceived high crime rate, fear of HIV infection and long hours in an over-stretched public health system. Meanwhile, drugmakers have increasingly targeted private provision, as affluent South Africans and foreigners take advantage of the country's well-developed private healthcare infrastructure.