Global Demand for Medical Professionals Drives Indians Abroad Despite Acute Domestic Health-Care Worker Shortages

Abstract

India has been the world's largest source for immigrant physicians since the country gained independence in 1947.Around 69,000 Indian-trained physicians worked in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia in 2017, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), which is equivalent to 6.6 percent of the number of doctors registered with the Medical Council of India (MCI).The country, which boasts the world's highest number of medical schools, also has become a leading source for nurses (typically trailing only the Philippines).Nearly 56,000 Indian-trained nurses work in the same four countries, equal to about 3 percent of the registered nurses in India.The allure of working abroad is strong for both physicians and nurses; researchers estimate anywhere from 20 percent to 50 percent of Indian health-care workers intend on seeking employment overseas for a range of reasons.Several countries have encouraged Indian health-worker migration in recent years.In the United Kingdom, for example, a fasttracked visa for medical professionals was announced in November 2019.The visa would aim to address shortages in the country's National Health Service (NHS).More than 15,000 doctors in the NHS as of 2017 had received their primary medical qualification in India, and Indians represented the top non-British nationality for NHS staff as of early 2019.Even as Indian medical professionals are drawn internationally by affirmative policies and perceived better opportunities, less than optimal conditions at home also drive their decision to leave.Among the factors: the central government's lack of investment in

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