The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that exists a shortage of more than four million healthcare employees, including doctors and nurses, across the globe (Aluttis, Tewabech and, Frank 33). The developing nations are the most affected. Specifically, Emigration is one of the reasons why developing nations have a shortage of healthcare workers. Developing countries, in spite of having colleges of health sciences, often do not remunerate their healthcare workers appropriately (Crisp and Chen 950). On the other hand, remunerations that developed nations offer to doctors from underdeveloped nations are lower, especially when compared to those of physicians that born and bred in developed countries. For example, it is widely estimated that more than one-third of physicians and nurses practicing in the United Kingdom are immigrants (Crisp and Chen 951).
Medical education, for physicians and nurses, is often long and gruelling in most nations across the globe (Aluttis, Tewabech, and, Frank 34). Moreover, medical education is expensive for individual students and institutions providing them. For example, at St. George’s University, the average tuition fee per term is more than $20,000 (Crisp and Chen 952). As a result, relatively few individuals pursue medical courses, and even fewer people graduate from these programs. Consequently, the continued increase in the number of people requiring medical services is not commensurate to the population of physicians and nurses that graduate from academic institutions every year (Aluttis, Tewabech and, Frank 34).
The apparent increase in the number of careers that doctors and nurses can fit in is also responsible for the decrease in the numbers of these professionals available to provide necessary care. For example, physicians and nurses gain employment in areas such as medical research, public policy, and administrative professions (Crisp and Chen 956). Furthermore, most nurses and physicians in contemporary societies choose to specialize in specific disciplines, such as oncology nursing and surgery, among others. Some physicians also seek employment in sub-professions, which subsequently reduces the numbers of physicians and nurses available to provide basic services (Aluttis, Tewabech, and Frank 36).
Works Cited
Aluttis, Christoph, Tewabech Bishaw, and Frank, Martha. "The workforce for health in Áglobal shortages and international migration." Global Health Action Vol. 7 (2014)
Crisp, Nigel, and Chen, Lincoln. "Global supply of health professionals." New England Journal of Medicine 370.10 (2014): 950-957.
