East and Central Africa countries have been major victims of the on going medical labor migration. The observation made indicates that majority of these labor movements are due to low salaries paid to health workers, unfavorable working environments, lack of equipment and recommended drugs to provide treatment to patients among others.
According to Director, Regional Programs and Field Offices at Amref Health Africa, Dr. Osur Joachim, It is depressing for health workers to see patients dying and are helpless because of lack equipment and drugs to provide treatment.
The available figure shows that in Uganda, a health worker is paid $700, in Kenya $1400, in Malawi paid $ 610, in Liberia is $ 1200, in Zimbabwe $ 400, which is much lower compared to south Africa which pays $7282, $12122 in UK, $ 12918 in Canada and $15000 in USA.
Dr. Osur therefore encourages governments to invest more money in the health sectors so as to combat these movements. "If you are paying your health workers well, you are improving the conditions of work, and helping them to develop in their professional, they will have no reasons to move to other countries.’’says Dr. Osur.
According to him, there is need for all health experts, health organizations, health workers themselves and other concerned stake holders in health sector, to put government on spot to invest more in healthcare, pay health workers commensurately compared to other countries and make them stay.