Poorly-paid Healthcare Workers Leaving Africa
2024-06-16
LRC
TXT
大字
小字
滚动
全页
1Cameroon has one of the world's lowest amounts of health care workers per capita.
2About a third of trained doctors who completed medical school last year left the West African country.
3Many doctors and nurses are leaving for more well-paying jobs in Europe and North America, including Canada.
4Canada, like Cameroon, has official languages of English and French.
5After training as a nurse, Nevielle Leinyuy spent almost 10 years in Cameroon working as a front desk worker.
6He was unable to find a well-paying job in the medical field.
7Last year, he applied for a nursing program in Canada. He now lives there with his wife and children.
8"They are stealing us from Cameroon. We want to work in Cameroon but there is no pay," the 39-year-old Leinyuy said.
9He said he would have earned less than $100 a month working as a nurse in Cameroon.
10Cameroon is not the only sub-Saharan African country where low pay is causing health workers to leave.
11The number of health workers increased in several countries after the COVID-19 pandemic.
12But almost 75 percent of African nations still experience medical worker shortages and high rates of healthcare workers leaving to work overseas.
13That information comes from a 2023 report from the World Health Organization (WHO).
14The lack of health workers makes it difficult to deal with infant mortality and infectious diseases.
15It also makes it hard to provide services like vaccinations, said Matshidiso Moeti.
16He is the WHO regional director for Africa.
17Cameroon has fewer than seven nurses per 10,000 people, the latest WHO data found.
18Neighboring Nigeria has more than double that amount.
19Canada has more than 14 times that number.
20Marie-Pier Burelle is a spokesperson for Health Canada.
21She told The Associated Press that Canada is facing its own health workforce shortages.
22The country has 30,000 nursing positions it needs to fill, says Statistics Canada.
23Burelle said Canada follows the WHO's code of practice to make sure its recruitment of workers internationally is ethical.
24Ethical recruitment includes strengthening the health systems of developing countries dealing with medical worker shortages.
25Late last year, the Canadian government donated around $2.2 million to Cameroon's health ministry.
26It also delivered medical and monitoring equipment as part of Canada's Global Initiative for Vaccine Equity.
27But such support falls short of Cameroon's needs.
28Cameroon's government employs around 100 doctors each year for a population of around 28 million people, said Dr. Peter Louis Ndifor.
29He is the vice president of the Cameroon Medical Council, a doctors association.
30The Canadian province of Nova Scotia, by comparison, has a population of under a million people.
31It recruited around 155 doctors last year, health officials say.
32The shortage of health workers is just part of Cameroon's current health crisis.
33More than 210 health centers closed because of destruction or abandonment during a conflict in the country's west, the United Nations says.
34The conflict has killed thousands of people over the past several years.
35Tumenta Kennedy is a Cameroon-based migration expert.
36He says Canada has become an attractive place because Canadian agencies target local doctors and nurses.
37Family ties overseas also play a part.
38Canadian government immigration programs like the Federal Skilled Worker Program or Express Entry are gaining in popularity.
39Cameroonians are among the top nationalities applying for Express Entry, the program's latest report found.
40I'm Dan Novak.
1Cameroon has one of the world's lowest amounts of health care workers per capita. About a third of trained doctors who completed medical school last year left the West African country. Many doctors and nurses are leaving for more well-paying jobs in Europe and North America, including Canada. 2Canada, like Cameroon, has official languages of English and French. 3After training as a nurse, Nevielle Leinyuy spent almost 10 years in Cameroon working as a front desk worker. He was unable to find a well-paying job in the medical field. Last year, he applied for a nursing program in Canada. He now lives there with his wife and children. 4"They are stealing us from Cameroon. We want to work in Cameroon but there is no pay," the 39-year-old Leinyuy said. 5He said he would have earned less than $100 a month working as a nurse in Cameroon. 6Cameroon is not the only sub-Saharan African country where low pay is causing health workers to leave. 7The number of health workers increased in several countries after the COVID-19 pandemic. But almost 75 percent of African nations still experience medical worker shortages and high rates of healthcare workers leaving to work overseas. That information comes from a 2023 report from the World Health Organization (WHO). 8The lack of health workers makes it difficult to deal with infant mortality and infectious diseases. It also makes it hard to provide services like vaccinations, said Matshidiso Moeti. He is the WHO regional director for Africa. 9Cameroon has fewer than seven nurses per 10,000 people, the latest WHO data found. Neighboring Nigeria has more than double that amount. Canada has more than 14 times that number. 10Marie-Pier Burelle is a spokesperson for Health Canada. She told The Associated Press that Canada is facing its own health workforce shortages. The country has 30,000 nursing positions it needs to fill, says Statistics Canada. 11Burelle said Canada follows the WHO's code of practice to make sure its recruitment of workers internationally is ethical. Ethical recruitment includes strengthening the health systems of developing countries dealing with medical worker shortages. 12Late last year, the Canadian government donated around $2.2 million to Cameroon's health ministry. It also delivered medical and monitoring equipment as part of Canada's Global Initiative for Vaccine Equity. 13But such support falls short of Cameroon's needs. 14Cameroon's government employs around 100 doctors each year for a population of around 28 million people, said Dr. Peter Louis Ndifor. He is the vice president of the Cameroon Medical Council, a doctors association. 15The Canadian province of Nova Scotia, by comparison, has a population of under a million people. It recruited around 155 doctors last year, health officials say. 16The shortage of health workers is just part of Cameroon's current health crisis. 17More than 210 health centers closed because of destruction or abandonment during a conflict in the country's west, the United Nations says. The conflict has killed thousands of people over the past several years. 18Tumenta Kennedy is a Cameroon-based migration expert. He says Canada has become an attractive place because Canadian agencies target local doctors and nurses. Family ties overseas also play a part. 19Canadian government immigration programs like the Federal Skilled Worker Program or Express Entry are gaining in popularity. Cameroonians are among the top nationalities applying for Express Entry, the program's latest report found. 20I'm Dan Novak. 21Dan Novak adapted this story for VOA Learning English based on reporting by The Associated Press. 22__________________________________________________ 23Words in This Story 24per capita - adv. by or for each person 25apply - n. to ask formally for something usually in writing 26region - n. a part of a country, of the world, etc., that is different or separate from other parts in some way 27recruit - v. to find suitable people and get them to join a company, an organization, the armed forces, etc. 28ethical - adj. involving questions of right and wrong behavior 29monitor - v. to watch, observe, listen to, or check for a special purpose over a period of time 30abandon - n. to leave and never return to 31attract - v. to cause to go to or move to or toward a place