India and the problem of doctor brain drain

The report notes that the density of doctors in India is very low

India has a lot of domestically trained doctors, but it also happens to be a country that has the highest number of domestically trained doctors working in member nations of The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), as per a report by Statista.

The report went on to note that India has a low density of doctors, something that is unlikely to improve even if doctors working abroad were to return home.

As per available data, 75,000 doctors trained in India were working in OECD countries. Out of these 75,000, almost two thirds are settled in the United States while 19,000 are in the UK.

When it comes to China, Chinese-trained doctors number 8,000 (working in OECD). Out of these 8,000 doctors, many have chosen the US and Australia as their destinations.

Also Read: Govt hospitals face shortage of doctors despite rise in number of medical colleges

Expat doctors and the domestic situation

The report notes that when the number of Indian expat doctors is compared with the number of physicians practising in India, expat doctors equal just over 7 per cent of the domestic workforce of doctors. Though this situation is comparable to that of the United Kingdom and is a little higher than the number for Germany, the density of doctors in these countries is much higher compared to India. The reason could be that India trains fewer doctors in the country or it fails to attract enough doctors from other countries.

Countries most affected by doctor brain drain

In Romania, for a population of around 19 million, almost 22,000 doctors work internationally. In the event all of them return to Romania to work, the domestic workforce of doctors would increase by 37 per cent.

For Egypt and the Philippines, this number stands at 17 per cent and 13 per cent, respectively.

On the other hand, Grenada, which has a population of around 125,000, has sent more than 10,000 doctors to the US. In 2018, the Caribbean nation had listed 160 domestic doctors with the World Health Organisation (WHO). However, having sent most of its medical professionals outside, Grenada fell prey to the ill-effects of medical brain drain during the Covid-19 pandemic and had to issue an urgent appeal for its doctors to return home.