A new report published in the New England Journal of Medicine adds evidence which appears to support critics who have argued that "a brain drain" is stripping countries in the developing world of productive physicians who would otherwise stay at home. George Washington University's Fitzhugh Mullan--a leading expert on physician workforce issues--offers data on physician immigration rates to the US, UK and several other modern industrialized countries. Mullan's research shows that 25 percent of the US physician population is now made of up of international medical graduates, a number which is likely to increase if current trends hold. The largest single subgroup practicing in the US is from South Asia. Six percent of practicing physicians in this country are from either India or Pakistan. Not far behind is the Philippines, which produces 2.1 percent of doctors in the US.
Opponents argue the exodus leaves developing countries ill-prepared to handle healthcare challenges like malnutrition, malaria and the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Backers of the free-market view generally argue that any loss is more than compensated for by gains in other areas. India, for example, which 25 years ago lacked an adequate healthcare infrastructure, is now considered an emerging force in medicine, healthcare IT and the pharmaceutical industry.
- read the abstract at NEJM
- read coverage by the AP
PLUS: Recent scandals like the incident at St. Vincent's Hospital in Los Angeles, in which a Saudi national is alleged to have bought a kidney, have put a focus on the international organ trade. India is considered a major hub in the black market. In response, the Indian government is considering extraordinary measures to combat fraud. Article