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‘Role models, training and best practice approaches are the key to stemming medical brain drain from developing world’, says CMF

Published: 18th June 2005

Britain’s largest organisation of Christian doctors has urged the government to make supporting high quality medical mentoring and training its priorities if it wants to stem the exodus of doctors from the developing world to the West.

CMF General Secretary Peter Saunders said, ‘While it is natural for skilled doctors in developing countries to be attracted by the better lifestyle and security offered in the UK, the needs in their own countries are far greater, and their loss is seriously compromising global health. But it is not enough simply to condemn developing world doctors from coming here and to criticise Western governments for poaching them. We have to do something positive to help staff retention in the developing world and good role models and good training are the key to this.

The British Medical Association and the Royal College of Nursing have written to Tony Blair ahead of next month's G8 summit demanding urgent action on staff migration from developing nations, which they say is killing millions and compounding poverty.

Added Saunders: “If the British government wants to stem the medical brain drain from the developing world then it needs to focus its efforts on supporting good role models, best practice examples and training of nationals in their own countries. Alternative solutions include recruiting European surplus doctors, training refugee doctors already resident here, improving links with developing world medical schools and increasing UK medical school intakes further. This may be more challenging and costly, but it is ethically essential.’

For further information:

Steven Fouch (CMF Head of Communications) 020 7234 9668

Media Enquiries:

Alistair Thompson on 07970 162 225

About CMF:

Christian Medical Fellowship (CMF) was founded in 1949 and is an interdenominational organisation with over 5,000 doctors, 900medical and nursing students and 300 nurses and midwives as members in all branches of medicine, nursing and midwifery. A registered charity, it is linked to over 100 similar bodies in other countries throughout the world.

CMF exists to unite Christian healthcare professionals to pursue the highest ethical standards in Christian and professional life and to increase faith in Christ and acceptance of his ethical teaching.