Migration: the mobility of patients and health professionals

Patients and healthcare workers engage in international mobility/migration as one means to overcome inequality in health services and professional opportunities. This chapter examines international migration in the context of health in terms of worker and patient mobility using four themes. First, the inverse care law is used to explain how access to health services and workers is shaped by the level of urban and economic development. Second, healthcare worker mobility and its nascent management at the global scale are explored. Third, medical tourism is considered as a form of increasing patient mobility. Fourth, international patient mobility and its management are addressed by considering the patient charters and international trade in health service agreements. A conclusion is then offered to highlight how the migration of patients and health workers are tendencies of globalizing healthcare systems marked by increased public-private marketization. The international mobility of workers cumulatively affects the ability of health systems to equitably and adequately deliver healthcare, and poses important challenges for those promoting health for all. The circulation of both of these human inputs must be understood as a central element of an increasingly global health services landscape.