Medical migration from Zimbabwe: magnitude, causes and impact on the poor

Abstract

This article examines the migration of health professionals from Zimbabwe in the face of a worsening economic and political crisis. Drawing on data from selected health institutions, it shows that the magnitude of this migration is increasing, with no signs of slowing down, and that economic factors are largely responsible. This outflow has negatively affected the users of the health system, particularly the poor who cannot afford the alternative health services offered by the better-staffed and well-equipped private clinics and consequently have resorted to visiting traditional and faith healers. Based on the research findings, the study calls for a speedy resolution of the current economic and political crisis as a long-term solution for reducing the medical brain drain from Zimbabwe.

Notes

¹PhD student, Department of Geography, University of Western Ontario, Canada. The author wishes to thank the World Health Organisation (WHO) AFRO Region for funding the study through the Division of Health Systems and Services Development. The author also gratefully acknowledges the technical assistance of Professor Jane Mutambirwa in conducting the study.