Journal Article

8.G. Round table: Health and care workforce migration: how to navigate ethically and align global and European needs?

EUPHA Health and Care Workforce section, EUPHA Ethics in Public Health section, Faculty of Public Health UK and Global Network for Academic Public Health, WHO-CC Health Policy and Planning, WHO/Europe, Chair persons: Ellen Kuhlmann (EUPHA-HCW)

2025

Overview

Background Health and care workforce (HCWF) migration increased globally and the HCWF crisis in high-income countries, armed conflicts and COVID-19 politics added new dynamics. These developments exacerbate inequalities between sending and receiving countries, challenging international regulations and calling for a critical reassessment of the Global Code and the promises of bilateral agreements and circular migration. HCWF migration flows not only accelerated and increased in numbers, the patterns also diversified, driven by novel multi-facetted push-and-pull factors. The Global South is emerging as the most important future source of the HCWF. Sub-Saharan Africa is a key example of how overproduction and unemployment of health and care workers (HCWs) accelerate dynamics that feed Europe's health systems while the national population is suffering from under-resourced and collapsing healthcare. Bilateral HCWF migration agreements between high- and middle-to-low income countries pretend to act ethically, but research evidence reveals unequal benefits for the receivers. Lastly, growing numbers of refugees trained as health professionals were fleeing armed conflicts, creating a pool of HCWs for Western countries. Ukraine refugees may illustrate how opportunities for effective integration in receiving countries may support individual needs and humanitarian rights as well as health system needs especially in neighbouring countries, but weaken the Ukrainian health system and cause long-term disadvantages. These changing migration patterns add novel needs and challenges to international regulations, making equity and ethical governance an even more urgent public health responsibility. Objectives This workshop aligns the needs of health systems in the Global South and in Ukraine as a country strongly affected by war and refugees with the needs of high-income countries, in particular, European Union member states. We argue for greater attention to international regulation and novel policy approaches. The panel is organised as moderated policy dialogue. It connects national and global/international perspectives, as well as EUPHA's HCWF expertise and ethics competencies. The discussion begins with three panellists providing expert insights into different HCWF migration scenarios, followed by reflections on ethical policy solutions, and capacity for international regulation lead by WHO. The workshop initiates dialogue and knowledge exchange to explore novel policy solutions for more equitable and ethically-grounded global HCWF governance. The recommendations emerging from the expert panel will be critically reflected and further explored in a moderated plenary discussion, providing ample time for discussion and integration of expertise from the audience. The workshop will strengthen EUPHA's advocacy for equity in healthcare and policy and build capacity for a resilient HCWF in Europe and globally. Key messages • Global health worker migration calls for a critical assessment of international regulations to improve equity and workforce resilience in sending and receiving countries. • Diverse migration scenarios require flexible transformative policy solutions to balance different needs of health systems, labour markets, and individual health workers ethically. Speakers/Panellists Pieternella Pieterse RCSI, Dublin, Ireland Julia Lohmann LMU Munich, Munich, Germany Zuzana Kotherová Faculty of Social Sciences, Charles University, Prague, Czechia Farhang Tahzib Faculty of Public Health, Haywards heath, UK

• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Subject: Advocacy / Agreements / Bilateral agreements / Capacity building approach / College faculty / COVID-19 / Developing countries / Ethics / Experts / Fairness / Geographic mobility / Global health / Governance / Health care / Health services / Humanitarianism / Income / Industrialized nations / Inequality / International regulations / Labor market / Labor migration / LDCs / Low income areas / Low income groups / Medical personnel / Medical workers / Migration / Migration patterns / Needs / Professional training / Public health / Receiving / Refugees / Regulation / Regulations / Research ethics / Research transfer / Resilience / Social sciences / Unemployment / Workers / Workforce / Workshops