Policymakers, researchers to discuss health workers migration in Africa

The Nigerian Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the World Health Organisation (WHO) Regional Office for Africa and Country Office for Nigeria, together with the African Health Observatory –Platform on Health Systems and Policies (AHOP) will host a policy dialogue on African health workers migrationon 25 April in Abuja, Nigeria.

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The policy dialogue, a significant event, will bring together decision-makers, practitioners and researchers from several African countries todiscuss the impact of health workforce emigration, and policy measures and interventions, including bilateral agreements, to mitigate its risks on health systems and the health of populations.

The African region, the only WHO region where health worker shortages are projected to increase by 2030, is facing an urgent issue. Existing health workforce shortages in the African region are exacerbated by the significant volume of emigration of health
professionals, giving rise to a continuous ‘brain drain’on the continent. This poses an enormous challenge for health equity and the attainment of universal health care in Africa and risks the continent, which is already disproportionately affected by the global disease burden, falling further behind in health outcomes.

At the policy dialogue, representatives from several African health ministries, the WHO Regional Office for Africa and WHO Headquarters will provide national, regional and
global perspectives on challenges and opportunities related to health workforce migration.

Dr Serge Bataliack, Coordinator of the Integrated African Health Observatory at WHO AFRO, said, “Effectively managing the emigration of healthcare professionals is paramountto
national and regional policymakers. AHOP is working to provide policymakers with the
evidence they need to mitigate health workforce shortagesand brain drain.This policy dialogue will be an opportunity to analyse the latest evidence on the efficacy of bilateral agreements as a solution to health worker migrationchallenges and sharepolicy lessons from across the African Region.”

The policy dialogue forms part of AHOP’s five-day annual meeting. AHOP is a regional partnership to promote evidence-informed policy-making. The Platform is hosted by WHO Regional Office for Africa and leverages existing national and regional
collaborations to form a network of National Centres across the region, including Nigeria.

AHOP policy dialogues focus on creating an environment for the exchange of
information, experience, and recommendations among decision-makers, practitioners,
and researchers, as well as facilitating solution oriented discussions on targeted policy opportunities.