Nursing Profession and the Brain-Drain Syndrome

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NURSING PROFESSION AND THE BRAIN-DRAIN SYNDROME

One of the greatest threats to the survival of the nation’s health sector today is the steady and continuous loss of qualified nursing personnel to Europe and America and other developed countries. The trend which started in the 1960’s as general brain-drain of nation’s professionals in search of greener pasture became pronounced in the 1990’s. While the loss of other professionals through this phenomenon began to witness a downward trend since the beginning of the new millennium, that of the nurses appear to be on the increase with the resultant negative effect on health care delivery (Huddart & Picazo, 2003).

The 1960s and 1970s was, for many developing countries, an era of newly won independence from former colonial powers. This independence was accompanied by an enthusiasm to provide high-standard healthcare, education and other services for the people. Governments moved to establish teaching hospitals and medical and nursing schools, often with the assistance of donor nations. But alas, the products of these schools are being lured by the same donor nations thus putting the developing nation's health care delivery system in turmoil. The sector now suffer from many problems ranging from inability of government to pass rational health care reform, insufficient budgetary allocation for health and the brain-drain syndrome to mention few. It is clear that the goals and priorities of the sector are not necessarily in line with good public needs or quality health care for consumers.
Brain-drain is putting great pressures on health care resources, be they acute or chronic, public or private. No hospital or health facility is immune from this syndrome.
Much of the burden of the syndrome is being felt by nurses, the hands-on providers of day-to-day health care. Patient care quality is being compromised, and the

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