The government of the United Kingdom (UK) has revealed it has placed a restriction on the "active" recruitment of health and social care workers from Nigeria and 53 other countries by its public and private healthcare organizations. This development is coming one month after the World Health Organization (WHO) identified 55 countries, including Nigeria, as being more challenged as it concerns Universal Health Coverage. Nigeria has always been on the WHO’s Health Workforce Support and Safeguards list which is graded red but what is new is the UK’s renewed effort to adhere to the global body’s advice.
“We recognize the important role that international health and care workers play in health and care service delivery in the UK and we are committed to ensuring that we recruit from overseas in an ethically responsible manner,” UK wrote.
It is recommended that employers, recruitment organizations, agencies, collaborations, and contracting bodies check the red country list for updates before any recruitment drive.
The countries placed on the red list of ‘No active recruitment’ are Afghanistan, Angola, Bangladesh, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Kiribati, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Lesotho, Liberia.
Other countries are Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Federated States of Micronesia, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Rwanda, Samoa, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, United Republic of Tanzania, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu, Republic of Yemen, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
