African countries should invest in health training

Jedi Ramalapa
The United Kingdom Development Agency has told African health ministries they will have to invest a big part of their national budgets in health education and training if they want to improve their health systems. Health leaders are currently meeting at the first Global Health Workforce Forum underway in Kamapala, Uganda. The forum aims to find solutions to the growing problem of a shortage of health practitioners, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Health training and education has been identified as one of the critical investments that countries could use to mitigate the migration of health workers from developing countries to developed ones. Developed countries like the UK, were reluctant to comment on repatriation systems, which African countries suggested could be a possible solution to the migration problem. Instead of paying for one health practitioner that migrates, developed countries suggested that huge investments in training institutions to the supply countries could go some way in compensating developing countries for money spent in training. Repatriation for each health worker that migrates to any country was ruled out as often movements of people can not be regulated.

The UK says contrary to popular belief the bulk of its medical personnel is imported from Asian countries, such as Pakistan and India.