Brain drain in South Africa is affecting health care

Abstract

The effective functioning of any health sector requires the availability of skilled and competent medical professionals, and South Africa is experiencing a shortage of medical professionals exacerbated by the phenomenon of ‘brain drain’, namely the depletion or loss of intellectual and technical personnel who migrate to other areas. The United Nations describes it as a one-way movement of highly skilled people that only benefits the host. Today, brain drain is a major problem facing less developed countries. Brain drain is reported to have direct negative impacts on the population’s health status in the donor country, with associated consequences for the productivity and welfare of the population. Many African countries face huge losses of human skills, and this, in turn, has affected their development. From health professionals to teachers, academics and engineers, the continent has lost numerous skilled personnel who ought to be contributing to its socio-economic development.