According to estimates by the International Council of Nurses (ICN), there was a shortage of 30.9 million nurses worldwide in 2019. This is presenting one of the main obstacles to the provision of effective healthcare services – especially for those who need them the most. For a country’s population, it creates a lack of access to basic health services including: prevention, information, drug distribution, emergency treatment, clinical care and life-saving interventions such as immunisation for children, safe pregnancy and maternity services, and access to treatment for AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. For health workers, the shortages mean an overwhelming workload and stress, which can lead to a lack of motivation, fatigue, absenteeism, illness, migration or the change to a career outside of the health sector.
The global shortage of healthcare staff means that countries are both actively and passively poaching doctors and nurses from each other. The losers in this situation are especially countries with weaker healthcare systems. Such countries are not only losing staff but also the investment made in training them. Until now, the WHO Global Code of Practice on the International Recruitment of Health Personnel has been applied on a voluntary basis. This Code urgently needs to be tightened up and binding regulations introduced at an international level.
The 2024 MMS Symposium explores the consequences of and possible solutions to the healthcare staff crisis and discusses ways out of the misery it is creating.
This year, the MMS Symposium will focus on:
- UNDERSTANDING what current labour migration means for health systems and health in both the Global South and in Switzerland.
- LEARNING how international health cooperation stakeholders can respond to the current crisis.
- DISCUSSING the implications of this changing landscape.
The symposium is part of a long-term cooperation with the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC).
Date and Time of the MMS Symposium
30 October 2024; 9:00 am – 4:30 pm
Venue:
Volkshaus Basel
Rebgasse 12-14
4058 Basel
Website
Languages
English
Further Information
Carine Weiss, Netzwork Medicus Mundi Switzerland
Tel: +41 (0) 61 383 18 12
E-Mail
Fees
- Standard Fee: CHF 170
- MMS and MMI Members: CHF 80
- Students: free of charge
Fees Online participation
- Standard Fee: CHF 170
- MMS and MMI Members: CHF 80
- Students: CHF 50
- Persons from LMIC: free of charge
