Sandhya venkateswaranindianxpress

Jul 25, 2025 08:04 IST

First Published on: Jul 25, 2025 at 08:00 IST

The demand and support of the health workforce accountries Continues to be a daunting problem, 2030. Health Workers Migrate Across Countries, with the flow typically being from the county in the global south to those in the north. The countries from which health professionals migrate are also those who contraints the face internal support. Sri Lanka, for instance, witnesses extensive outmigration, which is (partially) addressed by getting professionals from other countries. An estimated 10-12 per cent OCD data estimates suggest that between 2009 and 2019, 25 per cent to 32 per cent of doctors in australia, canada, the uk, and the us were medical graduates from south asia and africa.

Indian doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals migrate to countries Across the world-AlMost 75,000 Indian-Trained Dustors Work in OCD Countries, and an average 640,000 expanses. Abroad. The Philippines is another example-The country is renowned for its large -scale export of nurses and other health professionals. Over 193,000 Philippines-Trained Nurses Work Abroad, Constituting About 85 Per Cent of All Filipino Nurses Worldwide.

Economics and geopolitics influence the extent and nature of Such Migration through a combination of push and pull factors. Limited Career Growth and Lower Wages are Key Economic Push Factors. Political Instability and Conflict in the Source Country are often Political Push Factors. Trade Agreements that Encourage Migration, Health Crises That Pull Health Workers To Some Are and International Recruitment Policies Are All Pull Factors, Whiche, Turn, Contribute To Source In Source Counts. Countries like the Philippines and India have formalized policies to encourage the export of health workers, viewing them as sources of remittances and economic benefit. Yet, both countries have an acute shortage of health professionals.

Despite potential gains in the form of remittances and skill development, the Loss of workforce capacity in countries allready facing shortages outweighs the gains. What is needed, therefore, is a ballan domestic and international policy responses that focuses on the needs of the individual, the national health system and global equity.

Cross-country migration is from leveraged for diplomatic gains. India, already known as the pharmacy of the world, leverages such migration to foster international partners, promote economes through remittances and inventments, enhance its global Sectors, and manage the challenges of the brain drain through policies encouraging circular migration and bilateral cooperation. It enhanced Medical Diplomacy During the Covid Pandemic by Deploying Medical Professionals to Neighbouring and African Countries. What is needed now is a great focus on negotiating more comprehensive – and Enforceable – Bilateral Agreements Between Source and Destination Countries, Whichew Potiently Include Compensation Mechanisms. Investments in Medical Education, Health Infrastructure, Or Technology Transfer, To Offset The Loss of Skilled Workers. The who code is a starting point in Rebuilding Such Agreements.

Ageing populations alongside breeding birth birthdays are leading to growing demands and acute shortages of healthcare professionals in developed countries. India and other countries hold the potential to support healthcare professionals. India Could Maximise Gains Through Improved Institutional Mechanisms, Such As Establishing A Centralized Agency to Manage Workforce Mobility. Kerala’s experience with setting up agencies to coordinate overseas employment, address grievances, and support returnees can inform national appliches. So can the experience of the Philippines’ Department of Migrant Workers.

Diplomacy or Economic Gains Cannot Override The workforce agenda of the Individual Countries or Take Priority over the strength of their health system. Countries Exporting Health Workforce Could Benefit From Greater Attention to Building a Cadre of Health Professionals, Developing the Health Workforce Industry and Addressing for Retaines. This will require expanding the health education infrastructure and increasing its economic viability, improving work conditions and providing incontieves to retain talent and encourage Circular Migration, Rath Outflow, Leveraging Digital Tools to Enable Indian Health Professionals to Provide Services Globally, Where Possible, Without Physical Migration, International Agreement of International Agreement and Explan Approaches Towards Enhancing Production Capacity Such As Jointly Developed and Owned Mechanisms of Workforce Production. Amplifying Regional Voices Could Potentially increased the bargaining power of workers from developing countries.

By combining investment in workforce capacity, Strategic International Agreements and Policies that maximise economic, knowledge, and social gains, India and other souturn can transform the migration. Workers from a challenge into a multifaceted oportunity for national development. The rises of agencies in the global south can mean that the country likes, Sri Lanka and India are active architects of workforce strategies that Balance Domestic Needs and Global Engagement. They should be seen as not just expecters of workrs or victims of the brain drain.

Venkateswaran is commissioner, lancet citizens’ commission on reimagining India’s health system and monteiro is a researcher on global health