Brain Drain: UK Places Nigeria on Red List for Health Workers Recruitment 

Nigeria has been included in the red list of countries from which the United Kingdom government will not recruit health workers. This decision was made by the UK government after confirmation came from the World Health Organization (WHO) on the 8th of April, 2023 that Nigeria and 54 other countries are currently on a "Brain Drain" spree which translates to the popular "JAPA." The suspension of active recruitment of Nigerian health and social workers was fueled by the revolt against the decree made by Nigeria's lower chamber to have medical graduates render services within Nigeria for five years before being conferred full license. 

The UK government stated that the only reason the red-listed countries may be slightly considered for recruitment is if consent comes from their home country. The verdict explained further that countries that fall into this category should not be hired by any health or social work employers, recruitment agencies, collaborations, or contracting organizations. 

What is the UK Government saying?

The UK government says that the majority of health professionals migrated from their country to the UK to seek career advancement and better working conditions, leaving their country to suffer and lack competent hands. According to the government, the number of health workers moving to the UK and other countries increased drastically right after the COVID-19 Pandemic that struck in 2020. 

The declaration made by the UK government is encased in its updated code of practice for International recruitment of health and social care personnel in England which was published on the NHS employers website. The British government further noted that the code of practice is applicable to all international permanent, temporary, and stand-in clinical and non-clinical workers within the UK.

The present situation is similar to the one that happened in 2021 when the UK government paused the hiring of health workers from Nigeria along with 46 other countries. This was due to the concern that the influx of low and lower-middle-income countries could potentially hinder the UK's ability to meet its health and social care objectives.

What other countries are affected by the UK's decision?

Asides from Nigeria, the other countries placed on this recruitment ban include Afghanistan, Angola, Bangladesh, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Kiribati, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Federated States of Micronesia, Mozambique, Niger, Pakistan, Papua New, Rwanda, Samoa, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, United Republic of Tanzania, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu, Republic of Yemen, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

It was affirmed that these countries have a UHC service coverage index that is way below 50 and a limited number of doctors, nurses, and midwives that does not support the global median criteria of 48.6 per 10,000 population. Currently, the only countries void of this saga are Malaysia, Philippines, and Sri Lanka because they have been graded green by the World Health Organization.