Nurse migration in Guyana

Abstract

[Introduction] The 21st century has presented several challenges to those responsible for the training, development, and management of human resources for health. There is need to strengthen the quality of training, ensure the acquisition of job skills that facilitate a comprehensive response to the needs of users of health services, and improve the equitable distribution of these critical resources. In the above context, the migration of human resources for health is a topic that should be given high priority by Governments. The development and implementation of mechanisms to reduce and compensate for the migration of health personnel, through collaboration between supplying and receiving countries, is of paramount importance. The importance and impact of the migration of health workers has been widely analyzed by the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO), and this issue is reflected in PAHO’s Regional Goals for Human Resources for Health 2007-2015. The Goals recognize that “with competition for scarce human resources increasing, the international migration of health workers is likely to intensify in the coming years, leading to further workforce destabilization in less-developed coutries.”