Rich countries' recruitment of foreign nurses worsens health inequity: Reuters
In response to the shortage of nurses amid the surging Omicron cases, many Western countries have "stepped up international recruitment as part of a trend that is worsening health inequity," Reuters said.
As the Omicron variant spreads across the world, rich countries are stepping up efforts to recruit nurses from poorer regions, exacerbating labor shortages and global health inequalities, Reuters has reported.
In response to the shortage of nurses amid the surging Omicron cases, many Western countries have "stepped up international recruitment as part of a trend that is worsening health inequity," Reuters said, citing Howard Catton, CEO of the International Council of Nurses.
"We have absolutely seen an increase in international recruitment to places like the UK, Germany, Canada and the United States," Catton said in a Reuters interview.
"I really fear this 'quick fix solution' -- it's a bit similar to what we've been seeing with personal protective equipment and vaccines where rich countries have used their economic might to buy and to hoard -- if they do that with the nursing workforce it will just make the inequity even worse," he said.
Some international recruits have come from sub-Saharan Africa, including Nigeria, and parts of the Caribbean, Catton said, adding that nurses are motivated by higher salaries, better terms than at home and immigration status.
According to the Reuters report, Catton called for more efforts to strengthen the U.S. workforce, saying "we need a coordinated, collaborative, concerted global effort which is underpinned by serious investment, not just warm words and platitudes and applause."