Europe relies on foreign workforce for health care positions, according to a latest report. India has emerged as Europe's largest exporter of doctors and nurses.
More than a third or around 35 percent of National Health Service (NHS) doctors in the United Kingdom were born overseas, as reported by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
According to the report, India and the Philippines were the largest exporters of doctors and nurses to OECD countries. In fact, the United Kingdom is among the countries that rely on foreign health workers like nurses. Around 21.7 percent of nurses were born in other countries which showed a big increase in the last 10 years when the figure was 15.2 percent.
A published report titled International Migration Outlook 2015 examined the patterns of migration of doctors and nurses internationally and how they evolved since 2000. Besides the UK, there are other countries that rely on foreign aid in terms of health care. For all OECD countries, the number of migrant doctors and nurses increased by as much as 60 percent in the last 10 years.
A total of 35.4 percent of doctors working in the United Kingdom were born overseas, compared with 19.5 percent in France, 5 percent in Italy, and 10.7 percent in Germany.
Reliance On Overseas Workforce Should Not Jeopardize Care
The reliance on foreign workers in the health industry should not jeopardize the quality of care patients receive. One factor that creates a barrier between health care professionals and patients is the presence of a communication gap.
"We have heard from patients on our helpline that there can be real issues with some doctors and nurses from other countries; including problems with communication and a lack of understanding of processes and procedures," said Katherine Murphy, chief executive from Patients Association.
She added that practices should ensure that foreign workers are equipped with the support and training needed to provide safe and effective care to patients.
British Doctors Prefer Working Abroad
The report said that United Kingdom is the second highest exporter of health workers following Germany. UK has 17,000 doctors who are now working abroad. The surge of health personnel who prefer working for other countries has increased dramatically in the last decade.
Murphy added that doctors in the UK were trained in the country but preferred to work abroad after the training. The cost of training is £250,000 or about $370,600.
"The debacle of the junior doctor contract negotiations has highlighted the level of discontent that many doctors now feel working in the NHS," Murphy said.
"With services stretched and a shortage of staff, it is vital that the NHS holds onto these doctors," she added.
Long-Term Care Needs Prompted The Hiring Of Long-Term Foreign Nurses, Caregivers And Practical Nurses
The pressure that restricts family members to take care of their dependent relatives and the demographic trends prompted the hiring of foreign nurses and caregivers. Long-term care needs a lot of things to be done for patients and with the shortage of local caregivers, the government hired workers from other countries.
In the UK, out of the total 754,100 home-based caregivers, 18.8 percent were born abroad and the top exporters are India, Nigeria, Philippines and Zimbabwe.
India And The Philippines Are Two Of The Major Exporters Of Doctors And Nurses
"India and Philippines account for the spectacularly largest shares of migrant doctors and nurses," the report said.
"The United Kingdom is the second country of destination for Indian and Pakistani doctors, accounting for around one-third of the total," it added.
In terms of nurses, 28 percent of Indian nurses are in the United Kingdom while 13 percent are Filipino nurses.
Photo: Kathea Pinto | Flickr
