ABSTRACT
Increased international migration of health professionals is weakening healthcare systems in low-income countries, particularly those in sub-Saharan Africa. The migration of nurses, physicians and other health professionals from countries in sub-Saharan Africa poses a major threat to the achievement of health equity in this region. As nurses form the backbone of healthcare systems in many of the affected countries, it is the accelerating migration of nurses that will be most critical over the next few years. In this paper we present a comprehensive analysis of the literature and argue that, from a human rights perspective, there are competing rights in the international migration of health professionals: the right to leave one's country to seek a better life; the right to health of populations in the source and destination countries; labour rights; the right to education; and the right to non-discrimination and equality. Creative policy approaches are required to balance these rights and to ensure that the individual rights of health professionals do not compromise the societal right to health.
Subject(s)
Emigration and Immigration/statistics & numerical data , Foreign Professional Personnel/supply & distribution , Health Services Needs and Demand/organization & administration , Human Rights , Nursing Staff/supply & distribution , Personnel Selection/organization & administration , Adult , Africa South of the Sahara/epidemiology , Child , Child Mortality , Developing Countries , Feminism , Foreign Professional Personnel/education , Foreign Professional Personnel/psychology , Health Policy , Health Services Needs and Demand/ethics , Humans , Internationality , Licensure, Nursing/statistics & numerical data , Life Expectancy , Maternal Mortality , Nursing Staff/education , Nursing Staff/psychology , Personnel Selection/ethics , Prejudice , Social Justice/ethicsABSTRACT
The Millennium Development Goals set an agenda for advancing global health in the 21st century. Nurses have a pivotal role to play in the pursuit of global health and equity, including achieving the goals, but their capacity to contribute has been largely untapped. In this article, the authors examine strategies to mitigate inequities in global health within an international development framework, threats to achieving equity in health and the implications of these issues for nurses and nursing.
Subject(s)
Global Health , Health Policy/trends , Social Planning , Health Services Accessibility/organization & administration , Human Rights , Humans , Nurse's Role , Patient AdvocacyABSTRACT
Equity is considered one of the prerequisites and conditions for health. The pursuit of global health and equity is a relevant goal for nursing, based on the belief that health is a core phenomenon of interest to the discipline. In this article, the first in a two-part series, global health, equity and globalization are analysed. In addition, factors that contribute to global health inequity, including their relevance for nurses and nursing, are examined.
Subject(s)
Consumer Advocacy , Global Health , Health Services Accessibility/organization & administration , Nurse's Role , Altruism , Health Policy , Humans , Nursing/organization & administrationABSTRACT
PURPOSE: To discuss: (a) physical, human, organizational, social, and cultural capital and (b) empowerment as two theoretical foundations for building capacity. METHODS: These theoretical notions are examined in an analysis of a joint project between the Department of Nursing, University of Ghana and the Faculty of Nursing at the University of Alberta, Canada. FINDINGS: Capacity for the management of international development projects was enhanced at both sites. Building capacity required mutual trust, tolerance of ambiguity, and a willingness to step into the unknown.
