Гореща Африка или мразовита Канада?

by **7george** Пон 27 Юли 2009, 22:19

South Africa suffering as Saskatchewan takes its doctors: Top envoy
By Jason Warick,
SASKATOON — Saskatchewan's aggressive recruitment of South African doctors is causing "grave health outcomes" in that country, says South Africa's High Commissioner to Canada.
There are 277 South African family physicians, as well as 96 medical specialists, practising in Saskatchewan, according to the latest figures from the province.
Many of them have been aggressively recruited with promises of high salaries and other perks.
Dr. Abraham Sokhaya Nkomo, South Africa's High Commissioner to Canada, said the loss of so many doctors is having devastating consequences.
It's a long-standing problem the country has complained of before.
Some rural areas of South Africa are now left with just three doctors for every 100,000 people.
In Saskatchewan, where officials frequently cite a physician shortage, there are roughly 136 for every 100,000 people.
"Migration of doctors out of the country exacerbates this situation," read a statement issued by the commission on behalf of Nkomo.
"These doctors migrate at very high cost to the country with a huge loss of investment in education and training! It makes it difficult to deliver good quality, easily accessible and equitable services. . . . This has led to some grave health outcomes in the country."
South Africa's HIV epidemic is the worst in the world, with an estimated 5.1 million people infected. Drug-resistant tuberculosis is on the rise.
Thousands of children require treatment for respiratory and diarrheal diseases.
"Maternal mortality is another big challenge in South Africa. This is mainly due to poor access to professional maternity care during childbirth, poor ambulance and transport services, and the impact of HIV and AIDS on women," said the statement.
Nkomo listed several programs that South Africa is implementing to retain its doctors, such as financial incentives or increased training spaces in medical schools. But he said they cannot stem the tide without help from countries such as Canada.
It's not the first time Canada has heard this complaint.
Former South African high commissioner to Canada, Andre Jaquet asked provincial health ministers in a 2001 open letter to stop recruiting his country's medical professionals.
He said targeted recruiting of South Africa's doctors and nurses was affecting that country's ability to reform the poor health infrastructure held over from its time under apartheid, and was compromising South Africa's ability to deal with the HIV/AIDS pandemic.
He said that in 2001 there were 1,500 South African physicians practising in Canada.
Nkomo stopped short of recommending compensation for the transfer of doctors to Canada. He said professionals cannot be prevented from emigrating. But officials in Canada and South Africa need to discuss the issue and formalize some type of agreement, he said.
"The intention should be to find acceptable and practical solutions that would benefit doctors as individuals and the countries in general."

Copyright (c) Canwest News Service
И ония доктори, хич не са патриоти. Не ги я срам!