Global Demand for Medical Professionals Drives Indians Abroad Despite Acute Domestic Health-Care Worker Shortages

As the second most populous country in the world (with more than 1.35 billion people), and one that educates growing numbers of medical professionals, India has exported these workers to other countries in large numbers. India, for example, has been the world’s largest source of immigrant physicians since its emergence as an independent nation in 1947 -- with the U.S., UK, and Australia being the top three destination countries. In recent years, as the country has expanded nursing education, large numbers have gone overseas, particularly from the State of Kerala, and with Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries as the main destinations. This report examines some of the interconnections between medical education and practice in India and the world market for health care professionals. The authors mention the role of private health corporations in India which have dominated the expansion of medical education in India and which put a premium on international training and experience. They also discuss efforts by the Indian government to slow the emigration of health care workers in order to bolster the number of such workers practicing in India. Paradoxically, the government also promotes medical tourism by touting the large number of Indian medical professionals who have been trained and/or worked overseas. In recent years, there has been a trend to offshore medical education, with approximately 18,000 Indian medical students enrolled in Chinese universities and around 11,000 in Russian universities. The authors conclude that “policies need to be developed in India and destination countries that will protect the rights of professionals during recruitment and in the workplace, and allow them to fully utilize their skills.” At the same time, the Indian government should regulate recruitment intermediaries that are “the main source of exploitation for prospective nurse migrants.”

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