cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ca/post/5406403

There is a lot of discussion around global health systems and the ripple effects from foreign recruitment. This article goes over some of it, and if you want more there are links in the article for the rest of “White Coat Black Art: Inside the recruitment pipeline bringing nurses from the Philippines to Canada”

This quote at the end of the page got me thinking about it again:

The reporting of this story was made possible by the R. James Travers Foreign Corresponding Fellowship. Jim Travers, who died in 2011, believed it was crucial for Canadian reporters to “bear witness” because in our interconnected world, foreign news is local news.

This is especially true for healthcare, and any solution to our health system issues will need to address not only the immediate staffing needs here (in Canada) but also the long-term sustainability of healthcare systems in other countries. Even if you’re primarily concerned with Canada’s healthcare, neglecting the broader global context can still jeopardize the long-term sustainability of our own system.

  • Tony Smehrik@programming.devEnglish
    5·
    1 year ago

    You have to at least make replacement rate for nurses to keep the shortages from becoming worse which means either better retention of nurses through better pay and benefits or you have to train more. The Philippines is going to have that problem until the pull of Canadian dollars isn’t strong enough to justify the move.

    • megane-kun@lemm.eeEnglish
      5·
      1 year ago

      There are a lot of nursing (and other related medical courses) graduates here. There are also quite a lot of people who undergo training to become medical caregivers, but as with the medical students, a vast majority of them intend to work abroad. Wages for medical workers are way too low, even when compared to the local cost of living. It is often not even enough to meet their necessities (housing, utilities, food, and transportation). No wonder no one wants to stay here if there’s a far better alternative elsewhere, even if it means having to uproot one’s life to move somewhere far.

      The situation was so dire that back in the early days of the pandemic, a ban was imposed against overseas deployment of medical workers, a ban that was only lifted recently. The ban was backed by hospital owners in the country, but was opposed by medical workers. It’s pretty much telling that hospital owners rely on a deployment ban to retain their medical workers.

  • AutoTL;DR@lemmings.worldBEnglish
    1·
    1 year ago

    This is the best summary I could come up with:

    In Manila’s Pasay neighbourhood, people knock on nurse Irene Bernabe’s door at all hours of the day.

    In 2021, Canada had a higher nurse-to-population ratio than the Philippines, sitting at 102.7 nurses and midwives per 10,000 people, according to World Health Organization data.

    “It’s important to recognize the precarity of the health system in the Philippines and the density of nurses per population is only one indication,” said Bourgeault.

    A spokesperson with the province’s health authority said in an emailed statement that those who apply must meet the requirements for licensing through the College of Registered Nurses of Saskatchewan.

    Zambory says she was grateful for the Filipino nurses that came in 2009, but says it was a lot of work to train and introduce them to the Saskatchewan health-care system on top of her workload as an RN.

    Provinces should focus more on proper health workforce planning, hire talent already in Canada and streamline bridging programs before recruiting abroad, said Margaret Walton-Roberts, a professor in Wilfrid Laurier University’s geography and environmental studies department.

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