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The flight of physicians from West Africa: Views of African physicians and implications for policy

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  • Hagopian, Amy
  • Ofosu, Anthony
  • Fatusi, Adesegun
  • Biritwum, Richard
  • Essel, Ama
  • Gary Hart, L.
  • Watts, Carolyn

Abstract

West African-trained physicians have been migrating from the sub-continent to rich countries, primarily the US and the UK, since medical education began in Nigeria and Ghana in the 1960s. In 2003, we visited six medical schools in West Africa to investigate the magnitude, causes and consequences of the migration. We conducted interviews and focus groups with faculty, administrators (deans and provosts), students and post-graduate residents in six medical schools in Ghana and Nigeria. In addition to the migration push and pull factors documented in previous literature, we learned that there is now a well-developed culture of medical migration. This culture is firmly rooted, and does not simply fail to discourage medical migration but actually encourages it. Medical school faculty are role models for the benefits of migration (and subsequent return), and they are proud of their students who successfully emigrate.

Suggested Citation

  • Hagopian, Amy & Ofosu, Anthony & Fatusi, Adesegun & Biritwum, Richard & Essel, Ama & Gary Hart, L. & Watts, Carolyn, 2005. "The flight of physicians from West Africa: Views of African physicians and implications for policy," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 61(8), pages 1750-1760, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:61:y:2005:i:8:p:1750-1760
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Stekelenburg, Jelle & Kyanamina, Sindele Simasiku & Wolffers, Ivan, 2003. "Poor performance of community health workers in Kalabo District, Zambia," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 65(2), pages 109-118, August.
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    Cited by:

    1. Masselink, Leah E. & Lee, Shoou-Yih Daniel, 2010. "Nurses, Inc.: Expansion and commercialization of nursing education in the Philippines," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 71(1), pages 166-172, July.
    2. Michel Grignon & Yaw Owusu & Arthur Sweetman, 2013. "The international migration of health professionals," Chapters, in: Amelie F. Constant & Klaus F. Zimmermann (ed.), International Handbook on the Economics of Migration, chapter 4, pages 75-97, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    3. Adebusola Adebayo & Oluwaseun Oladapo Akinyemi, 2022. "“What Are You Really Doing in This Country?”: Emigration Intentions of Nigerian Doctors and Their Policy Implications for Human Resource for Health Management," Journal of International Migration and Integration, Springer, vol. 23(3), pages 1377-1396, September.
    4. Asongu Simplice, 2015. "Determinants of health professionals’ migration in Africa: a WHO based assessment," International Journal of Social Economics, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 42(7), pages 666-686, July.
    5. Akhenaten Benjamin Siankam Tankwanchi & Sten H Vermund & Douglas D Perkins, 2015. "Monitoring Sub-Saharan African Physician Migration and Recruitment Post-Adoption of the WHO Code of Practice: Temporal and Geographic Patterns in the United States," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 10(4), pages 1-18, April.
    6. Hussey, Peter S., 2007. "International migration patterns of physicians to the United States: A cross-national panel analysis," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 84(2-3), pages 298-307, December.
    7. Huish, Robert, 2009. "How Cuba's Latin American School of Medicine challenges the ethics of physician migration," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 69(3), pages 301-304, August.
    8. Connell, John, 2014. "The two cultures of health worker migration: A Pacific perspective," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 116(C), pages 73-81.
    9. Connell, John & Zurn, Pascal & Stilwell, Barbara & Awases, Magda & Braichet, Jean-Marc, 2007. "Sub-Saharan Africa: Beyond the health worker migration crisis?," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 64(9), pages 1876-1891, May.
    10. Akl, Elie A. & Maroun, Nancy & Major, Stella & Afif, Claude & Chahoud, Bechara & Choucair, Jacques & Sakr, Mazen & Schünemann, Holger J., 2007. "Why are you draining your brain? Factors underlying decisions of graduating Lebanese medical students to migrate," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 64(6), pages 1278-1284, March.
    11. Blacklock, C. & Ward, A.M. & Heneghan, C. & Thompson, M., 2014. "Exploring the migration decisions of health workers and trainees from Africa: A meta-ethnographic synthesis," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 100(C), pages 99-106.
    12. Rachel Jenkins & Robert Kydd & Paul Mullen & Kenneth Thomson & James Sculley & Susan Kuper & Joanna Carroll & Oye Gureje & Simon Hatcher & Sharon Brownie & Christopher Carroll & Sheila Hollins & Mai L, 2010. "International Migration of Doctors, and Its Impact on Availability of Psychiatrists in Low and Middle Income Countries," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 5(2), pages 1-9, February.
    13. Mawusse K.N. Okey, 2016. "Corruption And Emigration Of Physicians From Africa," Journal of Economic Development, Chung-Ang Unviersity, Department of Economics, vol. 41(2), pages 27-52, June.
    14. Okeke, Edward N., 2013. "Brain drain: Do economic conditions “push” doctors out of developing countries?," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 98(C), pages 169-178.
    15. Kıbrıs, Arzu & Metternich, Nils, 2016. "The flight of white-collars: Civil conflict, availability of medical service providers and public health," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 149(C), pages 93-103.
    16. Jaffré, Yannick & Suh, Siri, 2016. "Where the lay and the technical meet: Using an anthropology of interfaces to explain persistent reproductive health disparities in West Africa," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 156(C), pages 175-183.

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