Washington DC, 18 October 2024 (PAHO) - High-level health authorities in the Americas and Europe convened in Washington, DC, 17-18 October, to address the “Migration and Mobility of Health Care Workers in the Region of the Americas.” Discussions focused on the challenges and opportunities in managing ethical migration, in particular for source and destination countries, how to optimize the benefits, minimize negative impacts. and strengthen health systems.
“This meeting provides a unique platform to develop a coordinated global response on healthcare worker migration and mobility," PAHO Director Dr. Jarbas Barbosa said. "By working collectively, we can strengthen our health systems to be resilient, equitable, and capable of meeting the needs of all populations,” he added.
“Most importantly, we must work together to reinforce the principles outlined in the WHO Code of Practice to support the ethical recruitment of health professionals at all times,” added WHO Regional Director for Europe, Dr. Hans Henri P. Kluge.
During the meeting, strategic orientations were proposed in five key action areas: ethical recruitment and fair treatment of migrant health workers; strengthening the health workforce; facilitating circular migration; strengthening information systems to support data-driven workforce planning and capacity building; and regional collaboration and policy coherence.
In response to the proposed orientations, participants highlighted the importance of transparency, enhanced data collection, and country cooperation to better monitor health worker migration trends, identify gaps, and plan more effectively for future needs.
“These orientations aim to foster regional and inter-regional cooperation through collaborative policy development, sharing best practices, and coordinating efforts in health workforce planning, migration, and mobility management,” said Dr. James Fitzgerald, Director of Health Systems and Services at PAHO.
Over the coming months, the strategic orientations will continue to be reviewed and validated by the countries and serve as a guide for developing a roadmap on migration and mobility of healthcare workers.
The high-level meeting was organized by PAHO and WHO/Europe, with participants from Barbados, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Ecuador, Germany, Grenada, Guyana, Honduras, Ireland, Jamaica, Paraguay, Portugal, Spain, the United States; experts from the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank, International Labour Organization (ILO), and the International Organization of Migration (IOM).
