Although the volume of health workers leaving Nepal has been on a steady rise and the implications seem significant, there has been no study to identify the drivers of such migration. Neither are there any policies in Nepal to govern and manage the migration of health workers. This study aimed to fill the gaps. The major findings of the study are as follows. Nepal experiences inequitable distribution of health workers leading to critical shortage of health workers in most part of the country. This leaves the health worker-to-population ratio at 0.67 doctors and nurses per 1,000 individuals, which is significantly lower than the World Health Organization’s recommendation of 2.3 doctors, nurses and midwives per 1,000 individuals. Well-managed data on the stocks and flows of health workers has been a major challenge due to the lack of a comprehensive database, coupled with the tendency of health professionals to opt for other channels of migration, such as through student migration. Lack of data has led to the absence of effective policies to govern the migration of health workers from Nepal. There is no policy framework, act or guidelines specifically to govern the migration of health workers from Nepal, other than the laws that govern foreign employment in general. While there are separate laws governing migration and the health sector, the two areas seldom interact. The scant policy attention received by the international migration of health workers is also reflected in the absence of retentions programmes geared towards motivating health workers from migrating abroad.
URL : 20170628024048.pdf