Brain drain happens even in the most developed of nations. In the US there has been a problem for decades of physicians, especially specialists, clustering in cities and leaving the countryside with physician shortages. Even in the cities, physicians cluster in the affluent areas and leave the poor areas with shortages. One solution has been programs that pay financial aid and tuition for medical students who sign contracts agreeing to practice in certain rural or poor urban areas. Sorry I don't know the literature on this, but I thought I would support Badri's remarks. This may be a universal problem, but is no doubt worse the more poor and remote a region is.
David L. Doggett, Ph.D.
Senior Medical Research Analyst
Health Technology Assessment and Information Services
ECRI, a nonprofit health services research organization
5200 Butler Pike
Plymouth Meeting, PA 19462, USA
Phone: (610) 825-6000 x5509
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-----Original Message-----
From: badri badrinath [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Wednesday, March 26, 2003 2:09 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Brain drain & health professionals
Dear Arri,
Greetings from coastal Suffolk.
Brain drain is not a problem of only developing countries as developed
countries do suffer from this phenomenon; for example I found many reports
of brain drain from Canada to the USA. Brain drin seems to have existed for
nearly over 4 decades. The earliest reference I found was in 1966.
BMJ recently raised the issue of brain drain & health professionals in an
editorial. Please find below some information that might be of interest to
you. The reasons for brain drain appears to vary and depend on the local
circumstances including political, available resources, opportunities and
rewards. Regarding funding for studies one option is to approach the
national government as the results of any study will be specific and useful
to the country one is targetting (for e.g India, South Africa or an African
nation)
Pang T, Lansang MA, Haines A. Brain drain and health professionals. BMJ 2002
Mar 2;324(7336):499-500. Full free text -
http://bmj.com/cgi/content/full/324/7336/499
5 related letters in BMJ 27th July
http://bmj.com/cgi/content/full/325/7357/219
Danso K. The African brain drain: causes and policy prescriptions. Scand J
Dev Altern 1995 Mar-Jun;14(1-2):249-64
Bundred PE, Levitt C. Medical migration: who are the real losers? Lancet
2000 Jul 15;356(9225):245-6
Patel V, Araya R. Trained overseas, unable to return home: plight of doctors
from developing countries. Lancet 1992 Jan 11;339(8785):110-1
Wharry S. Pressure mounting to curb MD poaching by rich nations. CMAJ 2002
Jun 25;166(13):1707 http://www.cmaj.ca/cgi/content/full/166/13/1707
Chang SL. Causes of brain drain and solutions: the Taiwan experience. Stud
Comp Int Dev 1992 Spring;27(1):27-43
Zweig D. To return or not to return? Politics vs. economics in China's brain
drain. Stud Comp Int Dev 1997 Spring;32(1):92-125
Keely CB. Return of talent programs: rationale and evaluation criteria for
programs to ameliorate a 'brain drain'. Int Migr 1986 Mar;24(1):179-89
Cyranoski D. Plugging the brain drain. Nature 2002 Jun 13;417(6890):683
Hunt GH.The brain drain in medicine. Med Ann Dist Columbia 1966
Aug;35(8):441-2
WWW links:
http://www.cric.ca/en_html/guide/brain/brain.html (useful links including
evidence & implications of brain drain)
http://ca.fullcoverage.yahoo.com/fc/Canada/Brain_Drain/
http://www.cairotimes.com/content/issues/health/brain.html
http://manila.djh.dk/global/stories/storyReader$98
Cheers & regards,
Badri
http://myprofile.cos.com/badrishanthi
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