THE WHO CODE OF PRACTICE ON THE INTERNATIONAL RECRUITMENT OF HEALTH PERSONNEL: WE HAVE ONLY JUST BEGUN

摘要

When the World Health Organization (WHO) issued its draft Code of Practice on the International Recruitment of Health Personnel on September 1, 2008, it took an important step in responding to a growing global health concern.' Aimed at protecting the health systems of so-called 'source' countries –and ultimately the health of their populations – and shielding workers from unethical recruitment and employment practices, the WHO code joins a host of others promulgated in recent years by govern-ments, non-governmental organizations, and health professional associations. Beyond the fact that the transnational flow of health workers has never been higher, especially troubling is that they are increas-ingly likely to migrate from low-income countries with a low supply of health personnel to high income countries.' And the recruitment industry, involved in a range of activities related to recruit-ment, testing, credentialing, and immigration, is booming.' Not only has the size of the industry surged in the last decade, so too has the number of countries in which recruiters operate, including those with high burdens of disease and low health worker-to-population ratios.