Malawi, one of the world’s poorest countries, is losing up to US$26 million (145 mio. kr)for every nurse who leaves the country in search of greener pastures, according to a new research paper.
The researchers calculated the amount by taking into account the expense to the government of training a nurse or a midwife, at interest rates ranging from 7 percent to 25 percent, over a period of 30 years – the time the migrating worker is expected to spend outside the country.
Students at nursing schools are not required to pay tuition or boarding fees, as these costs are paid to the institution by the government. The cost of primary and secondary education was also included.
– Better salaries and good working conditions are among the contributing factors for these nurses’ migration, said Fresier Maseko, one of the authors of ‘The financial losses from the migration of nurses from Malawi’ to IRIN News.
The paper by researchers from the College of Medicine at the University of Malawi and the US-based University of North Carolina, attempts to quantify the financial loss to the country, besides the obvious impact on its health services.
The shortage of medical personnel has hit crisis point in Malawi, where there is one doctor per 60,000 people instead of the required ratio of one physician per 5,000.
According to government sources, 64 percent of nursing posts in Malawi are unfilled and there are just 100 doctors in public hospitals serving a population of 12 million. Anyone requiring the attention of a specialist has to travel outside the country.
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