E-drug: Brain drain of pharmacists (cont'd)
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Dear All,
You may be interested to know that a survey is currently being
done in the UK of pharmacists who qualified in the UK but are no
longer working there. If I remember correctly it is being conducted
by a researcher at Manchester University. The surveyor is asking
questions about why you have left the UK, what you are currently
doing and also what would tempt you to return to work in pharmacy
in the UK. Hopefully if developed countries address their issues of
shortage of pharmacists (without draining pharmacists from other
countries) then this will help to reduce the current drain of
pharmacists out of developing countries. However I agree with the
previous messages that it is also essential to address pharmacists
pay and other conditions of employment in developing countries.
Another matter that I feel needs to be addressed (in many
developing countries, if not universally) is the image of pharmacists
within the health sector and also by the general population. If
people really understood the beneficial roles that pharmacists can
have in the provision of health services (as opposed to being seen
as pill counters) then maybe more emphasis would be put on
(recruiting and) retention of pharmacists. In my experience
shortages of doctors and nurses in public health services are
always addressed more urgently than shortages of pharmacists,
leading to pharmacists often being left behind in the drive for
improved employment conditions.
A previous discussion on e-drug (April 2002) about brain drain of
health professionals brought the following information to light;
"At the pre World Health Assembly (WHA) meeting in Geneva, May
2001, Commonwealth Health ministers discussed the issues
pertaining to international recruitment of health workers. They
concluded that since all Commonwealth countries, both developed
and developing, were losing skilled health personnel, particularly
doctors and nurses. The Commonwealth should agree on a unified
approach to deal with the problem. I believe they are currently
trying to develop a Commonwealth Code of Practice on
International Recruitment for discussion at the 13th Commonwealth
Health Ministers Meeting (13CHMM). The Secretariat sought
guidance from the International Labour Organisation (ILO),
UNISON, the representative trade union body for public sector
workers in the UK, and the UK Department of Health. A
consultative meeting was held in London, 13-14 September 2001
with representatives of these organisations and of Jamaica, Ghana
and Nigeria. The meeting discussed the issue in depth and
produced a draft code, which was submitted to Ministers at their
Meeting in New Zealand (13CHMM)."
I believe that the Commonwealth Pharmacy Association was
involved with this matter but am not aware of what (if any) progress
has been made.
Jennie Lates
Pharmacist Adviser, PMGH
Pharmaceutical Upgrade Project
Papua New Guinea
Tel : (675) 325 3713
Fax: (675) 323 6629
email : jennie.lates@pup.acil.com.pg
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