New Policies Aim to Halt Iraqi Health Care Brain Drain
In a country where kidnapping and violence towards medical workers occurs all too frequently, the Iraqi government is taking measures to stop doctors and nurses from leaving the country and convince those who have left to come back.
On Monday, Iraq announced a number of new policies aimed at creating a safer environment for medical professionals to work. Police will not be able to detain doctors without Ministry of Health permission, doctors will be permitted to carry guns, and security will be strengthened at clinics and hospitals. Iraq is also attempting to bring refugee medical workers back home through advertising campaigns and improved salaries.
According to a March 2008 report by the International Committee of the Red Cross,
the health care system in Iraq is in crisis.
More than 2,200 doctors and nurses have been killed and more than 250 kidnapped since 2003. Of the 34,000 registered doctors in 1990, at least 20,000 have left the country."
The lack of a strong health care workforce in Iraq has serious consequences. According to a report by Medact, studies have shown that the conflict in Iraq has caused a dramatic increase in death rates of children under 5, emergency aid needs, and war-related morbidity and mortality. In addition, basic health and primary care services are both hard to find and unaffordable, causing many people to either turn to underqualified practitioners or go without care.
This is not the first attempt by the Iraqi government to lure back skilled professionals: In 2005, the government announced it would double the salaries of university professors to prevent "brain drain." We'll have to see if these latest measures will be enough to improve a dangerous situation.
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