March 24, 2023

UK Job Offers Threaten Nepal’s Hospitals: Concerns Grow Over Devastating Impact on Healthcare System

Nepal’s public health system is plagued by staff shortages, dilapidated infrastructure, overcrowded wards, long wait times, and meager pay, making it a country that the WHO has designated to not be targeted for healthcare professional recruitment. Despite this, the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) has signed a deal with Nepal to recruit Nepali nurses, a move that healthcare experts warn could worsen Nepal’s severe staffing crisis. While up to 100 Nepali nurses will be recruited in the pilot phase, the agreement also includes the establishment of a unit in Nepal to develop a sustainable recruitment pathway for healthcare professionals from Nepal to the UK. Even though this opportunity may benefit individual nurses, it is evident that the UK is the primary beneficiary of this agreement.

 

Check out the full report by Pete Pattisson and Pramod Acharya via The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2023/mar/14/if-we-leave-nepal-will-suffer-embattled-hospitals-fear-impact-of-uk-nhs-job-offers

Commentary by Alina Metje, GHJ team