Brain drain is a term coined in the 1950s to describe the emigration of highly skilled personnel, particularly physicians and scientists, from Great Britain to the United States and Canada (1). During this time, professionals departed their home country in pursuit of better salaries, increased research funding, and more favorable job opportunities (1). While the landscape has evolved since the 1950s, the concerns surrounding brain drain have evolved into a complex ethical dilemma.
Brain drain has disproportionately affected individuals in developing countries around the world. In order to escape impoverished living conditions, political unrest, and to seek out better educational opportunities, individuals from developing countries flee their homes and seek refuge in places like Canada and the United States (1). While this offers incredible opportunities to the emigrating individuals, both in their professional life but also for their quality of life, it directly harms their home countries.
Skilled health professionals and researchers are needed in all parts of the world, not just the Western world. When individuals leave their home countries in search for better opportunities, the healthcare systems and scientific institutions of those countries are directly harmed in a way that perpetuates a vicious cycle that is difficult to escape.
The obvious effect of brain drain is the direct loss of skilled personnel, which limits the ability of affected countries to respond to medical emergencies and healthcare crises. For example, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that the emigration rate of doctors from African countries, especially Nigeria, is as high as 50%, with most leaving to work in the UK and the States (2). The departure of skilled researchers may also result in the slowing down of scientific and technological progress in these countries, which can limit clinical translation of research findings. Scientific emigration also affects academic institutions directly, by reducing the quality of education students can receive. This in turn reduces the quality of life in developing countries, by increasing patient burdens in hospitals, reducing the accessibility of innovative research, and limiting the educational resources available to students. Because of this, more people are motivated to leave these countries and search for better opportunities elsewhere, perpetuating the brain drain predicament.
For these reasons, policies are desperately needed to reduce the burden of brain drain on developing countries. Instead of focusing on helping scientists and students flee their home countries for the sake of better opportunities, there should instead be a focus on helping to create these opportunities globally, not just in the Western world.
For example, there are many scholarships available for international students that help financially support them in their pursuit of education outside of their home country. Again, while this is an incredible support system for the emigrating student, it directly depletes the resources of their home country. Instead, Western countries should work on developing programs that aim to financially support international students at their home institutions, to help strengthen the academic and research infrastructures of these nations. In turn, countries supporting these programs can set up collaborations with international academic institutions, which can foster scientific dissemination and knowledge exchange, a benefit for all parties involved.
Moreover, there needs to be more emphasis placed on the creation of exchange programs that enable international research collaboration. For example, instead of pushing for the permanent relocation of scientists from their home countries, exchange programs can be put in place to encourage collaboration and expertise-sharing at an international scale. These programs could support scientists and professionals from Western countries to participate in exchange programs with scientists from countries all over the world. This would help prevent brain drain in two ways. First, by preventing the permanent loss of skilled scientists from developing countries, and second, by bringing new expertise to these countries that could help strengthen their research institutions and foster long term collaboration.
Additionally, policies should be put in place to encourage entrepreneurship in developing countries. By creating opportunities for researchers and students in their home countries, there would be less motivation for them to abandon their homes in search of these prospects. This can also provide an avenue for skilled individuals to contribute to the local economy, which in turn can improve the quality of life in their community. For example, in 2010 the Chilean government started a program called ‘Start-Up Chile’, which provided funding, mentorship, and networking opportunities to support early stage startups and entrepreneurs within the country (3). This program has helped support and retain thousands of skilled professionals within Latin America.
The struggle developing countries face in retaining skilled professionals and researchers is serious. To address this issue, international organizations and governments should shift their focus from facilitating emigration out of developing countries, to creating opportunities within these countries. Policies should prioritize supporting international students at their home institutions rather than depleting resources through scholarships that encourage migration. Collaboration between Western and developing countries should be fostered through exchange programs that promote research collaboration and expertise-sharing on an international scale. Moreover, policies aimed at fostering entrepreneurship within developing countries can create local opportunities, reducing the incentive for skilled individuals to seek opportunities abroad. This approach not only prevents the permanent loss of skilled professionals, but also contributes to the strengthening of research institutions globally.
References
- Dodani S. Brain drain from developing countries: how can brain drain be converted into wisdom gain? Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine [Internet]. 2005 Nov 1;98(11):487–91. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1275994/
- African Health Monitor. World Health Organization. 2007 Jan 1;7(1).
- Start-Up Chile – We SUPport founders beyond businesses [Internet]. Startupchile.org. 2022. Available from: https://startupchile.org/en/
Mira Ishak
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