14% of Ugandan physicians emigrate abroad, largely to four English-speaking countries—the US, Canada, the UK, and Australia. This number is significantly lower than that of some other countries in peril. For example, it is frequently said that more Malawian doctors practice in Manchester, England, than in the entire country of Malawi. Although Uganda’s health workforce shortage seems less drastic than Malawi’s, the crisis is no less dire: in 2008, the study’s authors estimated that there are only 2,500 physicians for Uganda’s 31 million inhabitants. Physicians, far more so than other Ugandan health professionals, were seen by Bancroft and colleagues as dissatisfied with their work and both ready and capable of vacating their posts if the opportunity should arise. Along with nurses, physicians are the group most heavily courted by international recruiters, which means many of the physicians Bancroft spoke with may already have found an opportunity to leave Uganda.

The World Bank and International Monetary Fund have exacerbated the “brain drain” seen in Uganda and throughout Africa with “structural adjustment” policies that cap domestic health expenditures. Wealthy countries can offer doctors higher salaries, greater career advancement opportunities, and, in many cases, a more stable political environment in which to work.

The Global HEALTH Act, introduced by Rep. Barbara Lee in March 2010, would assist Uganda’s efforts and help curtail health workforce shortages in countries facing similar crises by providing $2 billion over five years to increase the number of physicians, nurses, and other health workers in developing countries—and to help retain those health workers already there. The bill not only authorizes new resources, it also calls for the creation of a US Global Health Strategy to complement the goals of countries like Uganda and ensure US aid money goes where it can make a difference. This study will help foreign aid innovations like the Global HEALTH Act to better tackle complex problems like brain drain and to work with communities to solve these challenges—something PHR is dedicated to helping support.

Approximate number of Washington, DC residents: 600,000

Population size of Ethiopia: 80.7 million

Ratio of doctors in Washington, DC to doctors in Ethiopia: 2:1

Number of countries the World Health Organization identified as having severe shortages of health workers: 57

Number of times quarterback Jay Cutler spoke the phrase “you know” during a televised interview within five minutes: 57

Vehicles recalled by Toyota in October 2009 for faulty floor mats: 4.3 million

Number of missing health workers in 57 severe shortage nations: 4.3 million

Of the 57 shortage nations, percentage of which are in Africa with severe health worker shortages: 69

Ratio of physicians to total Liberian population (2007): 1:21,000

Ratio of physicians to total U.S. population (2009): 1:386

Percent increase in number of health workers required to address African nation shortages: 140

Temperature in Celsius degrees for the boiling point of aspirin: 140

Additional health workers (doctors, nurses, midwives) required to alleviate severe health workers shortage in South East Asia region: 1.2 million

Minimum number of new health workers the US government has committed to train and help retain in the 2008 PEPFAR legislation: 140,000

Number of applications currently available for Apple’s new iPad: 140,000

Number of health workers in Africa the Japanese government has promised to train by 2013: 100,000

Amount of funding G8 nations have jointly agreed to commit to addressing the health worker shortage: $0