<div class="gmail_quote">From: <b class="gmail_sendername">MMI Thomas Schwarz</b> <span dir="ltr"><a href="mailto:schwarz@medicusmundi.org">schwarz@medicusmundi.org</a></span><br><br><br>
<div lang="DE-CH" vlink="purple" link="blue">
<div>
<p><span lang="EN-US" style="COLOR: #c00000; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'"></span></p>
<p><span lang="EN-US" style="COLOR: #c00000; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'">Statement by the Medicus Mundi International Network:<br>International recruitment of health personnel<br>............................................................</span></p>
<p style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 6pt"><span lang="EN-US" style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'">Addressing the participants at the 59th session of the WHO Regional Committee for Europe, and referring to the draft "WHO code of practice on the international recruitment of health personnel", a representative of the Medicus Mundi International Network (MMI) welcomed the joint effort by WHO Member States, WHO and civil society to address and regulate international migration of health workers. </span></p>
<p style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 6pt"><span lang="EN-US" style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'">MMI advocates for of a strong Global Code of Practice that can guide towards reduced international recruitment and eventually generate a globally balanced health workforce. Some key elements of the MMI statement:</span></p>
<p style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 6pt; MARGIN-LEFT: 17.85pt; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0cm"><span lang="EN-US" style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Symbol"><span>·<span style="FONT: 7pt 'Times New Roman'"> </span></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'">"While we respect the efforts on protecting the rights of individual health workers to migrate, one of the main objectives of the code must be to reduce negative effects of international migration of health workers for source countries and their population. Ethical recruitment of health workers must contribute to this objective and must not become a justification or promotion for continued recruitment from countries with a critical shortage of health personnel. The Code should instead include a provision that recommends Member States to <b>refrain from international recruitment in countries with a shortage</b>."</span></p>
<p style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 6pt; MARGIN-LEFT: 17.85pt; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0cm"><span lang="EN-US" style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Symbol"><span>·<span style="FONT: 7pt 'Times New Roman'"> </span></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'">"The text of the Code should explicitly announce the obligations of receiving countries towards the ‘source’ countries of health workforce migration based on the obligation laid out in the Universal Right to Health. There must be a stronger emphasis that any form of just or commensurate compensation must be directed to create and maintain greener pastures for health workers in developing countries to jointly <b>eliminate the push factors of migration </b>in order to<b> strengthen the overall health system</b>."</span></p>
<p style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 6pt; MARGIN-LEFT: 17.85pt; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0cm"><span lang="EN-US" style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Symbol"><span>·<span style="FONT: 7pt 'Times New Roman'"> </span></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'">"The Code should encourage WHO Member States to <b>ensure a sound and effective national health workforce planning</b> and corresponding investments in training. This will preclude their need to recruit health personnel from abroad."</span></p>
<p style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 6pt; MARGIN-LEFT: 17.85pt; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0cm"><span lang="EN-US" style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Symbol"><span>·<span style="FONT: 7pt 'Times New Roman'"> </span></span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'">"We urge WHO Member States to fine tune the global code of practice to their respective national context. As part of a sound national workforce policy that aims for self-sufficiency we recommend that the text of the Code urges Member States to also <b>develop their own</b> <b>national code of practice to regulate international recruitment</b>."</span></p>
<p style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 6pt"><span lang="EN-US" style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'">Read the full statement on the MMI ePlatform: <a href="http://bit.ly/4x4Tyw" target="_blank"><span style="COLOR: black">http://bit.ly/4x4Tyw</span></a> (PDF file). <br>
For more information, please get in touch with the MMI secretariat </span></p>
<p><span lang="EN-GB" style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'"> </span></p>
<p style="MARGIN-BOTTOM: 6pt"><span lang="EN-US" style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'">The statement was drafted by the Medicus Mundi International Network in cooperation with </span><span style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'"><a href="http://www.wemos.nl/" target="_blank"><span lang="EN-US" style="COLOR: black">Wemos Foundation</span></a></span><span lang="EN-US" style="COLOR: black; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman','serif'">, the Netherlands. </span></p>
</div></div></div>