But critics have accused Kerala state officials of institutionalising brain drain at a time when India’s nurse-to-patient ratio stands at 2.23 per 1,000 people – below WHO’s benchmark of 3 per 1,000.
Ajith Kolassery, CEO of NORKA Roots, which liaises between non-resident Keralites, disputed the claim that migration is worsening shortages in Kerala.
“There’s no dearth of nurses because every year, 20,000 to 25,000 nurses are coming out of these institutions,” he told CNA.
“So, currently, they are facing underemployment because nurses are working at inferior, very low salaries.”
NATIONAL HEALTHCARE GAP
But across the world’s most populous country, access to healthcare remains uneven.
Reports indicate that nine out of 10 people in rural India must travel more than 10km to reach healthcare services.
The Indian government says it has invested billions of dollars to expand capacity, increasing the number of medical colleges by 82 per cent between 2014 and 2023, as well as adding 157 new nursing colleges in the same period.
But experts said that public health spending – currently about 2 per cent of the country’s gross domestic product – must rise to between 5 and 10 per cent to adequately serve India’s 1.4 billion people.
They also argue that the government should provide more funds to improve healthcare staff pay, which could potentially reverse the migration of healthcare workers.
“Think about the issue for maybe the next 50 years … we need more money there. That’s the bottom line,” warned Sulphi Noohu, national convener of the Indian Medical Association’s National Action Committee.
“Precise training for a particular subject – we have a deficit there, for example, in an intensive care unit or a cardiothoracic unit or maybe a coronary care unit.”
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/nurses-beyond-borders-india-migration-overseas-healthcare-jobs-5981101
