In an attempt to disguise their own dismal failures to attract British qualified doctors and nurses into the NHS successive Labour Secretaries of State for Health have, without a shred of a conscience, been plundering the Third World for their scarce and expensively trained staff.    Plundering  worse than any during the colonial days.

Ultimately responsible for this disreputable policy is the Prime Minister, Anthony Blair, who hypocritically stalks Africa as if he were its saviour rather than its nemesis.  And all the time he smirks his way around the continent like some latter-day Santa Claus.

Mind you, Blair has a custom of pleading ignorance when confronted with uncomfortable areas of policy.

The following article has been submitted by the charity Save the Children.    It is worth reading but before doing so, do remember that Blair's unscrupulous policy does not stop at Africa, it includes many other parts of the developing world including Asia and the poorer parts of eastern Europe.

David Roberts (Editor)

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Africa props up UK National Health Service

A briefing published today by Save the Children highlights the subsidy paid by the poorest countries in Africa to prop up the UK's NHS. 

Nurses and Doctors from across the developing world are migrating to the UK to fill vacancies in the NHS due to Britain's shortage of skilled health professionals.

This is contributing to the collapse of health systems particularly in sub-Saharan Africa where the escalating HIV/Aids crisis, high rates of child mortality, malnutrition, disease and other symptoms of poverty further blight the continent.

Save the Children Director General Mike Aaronson said:

"Many African countries suffer severe poverty and have limited funds available for basic services like education and health. It is vulnerable children who suffer disproportionately when these services are failing. It is shameful that many poor countries are spending millions of pounds training nurses and doctors to prop up the UK's National Health Service.

"The research concentrates on Ghana , where one child in every ten dies before the age of five. Here the government is making substantial efforts to improve health care and yet there is an absolute and rising shortage of health care professionals The research explains how the Ghanaian health system suffers from migration to the UK and other developed countries.

It is estimated that the UK has saved £65 million in training costs by recruiting nurses and doctors trained in Ghana and the services delivered by Ghanaian nurses and doctors in the UK are valued at £39 million per year.

The UK Government has attempted to address the problem by implementing a code of practice for the NHS barring it from actively recruiting staff in developing countries.

However, the code of practice does not, nor should it, prevent health professionals from volunteering to work in the UK . Nor does it prevent workers being recruited to work in the UK private sector from where they often move into the NHS. The code of practice does not address the key issues underlying migration such as collapsing health systems, low pay and short supplies of drugs. This is why alternative policies for rebuilding health systems in very poor countries must be sought.

Save the Children demands that the UK Government financially compensates poor countries who lose staff to the NHS.

The UK government should pay a fair price to countries which supply vitally needed health staff to the NHS. It is vital that this compensation is in addition to existing aid to developing countries.

Save the Children believes that addressing the issue of collapsing health systems, of which the brain drain is a significant factor, is a vital step to make child poverty history.

2005, with the UK holding the chair of the G8 and the presidency of the European Union is a historic opportunity for the UK to lead the way in creating real and lasting change for children across the world. 2005 can be the year in which we make child poverty history.

For more information please contact

Save the Children Press Office: 020 7012 6403

Dave Ward on 07952 789 0409</p>

The attached briefing draws on research funded by Save the Children, the British Medical Association (BMA) and Medact (an international health charity). The recommendations are those of Save the Children UK and Medact.

(22/2/05)