Migration Advocacy Sheds Light on Healthcare Professional Deficit

Global trade union federation Public Services International’s (PSI) migration programme coordinator, Genevieve Gencianos, recently spoke at a health gathering hosted by UNISON in Liverpool. In her address, she highlighted PSI’s dedication to fostering fairness in the recruitment of migrant healthcare professionals and stressed the importance of quality public services and decent jobs.

Gencianos initiated her discussion by referencing data from the World Health Organization and emphasized an imminent deficit of 11.1 million healthcare workers worldwide by 2030. She attributed this lack to regional inequalities around the globe, saying it raises pressing issues of universal health equity.

Supporting her argument with data, Gencianos illustrated the mismatch in global demographics, saying that while Africa is home to 17% of the world’s population, it only houses 4% of its healthcare staff. She took this point further by warning about the expected deficit of approximately 500,000 healthcare professionals in the UK by 2030.

She underlined the recruitment crunch currently experienced in the UK. Gencianos sharply criticised unethical recruitment agencies that exploit the desperation of migrant healthcare and care workers for their monetary gain. According to her, such entities were exploiting system loopholes, weakened regulation, and fragmented migration policy.

Gencianos advocated for an integrated approach to migration models in alignment with labour and employment rights. She insisted on the necessity of robust, transparent regulations that hold dubious entities accountable and robustly secure workers’ rights.

She also highlighted PSI’s initiatives, stating as a universal trade union organisation, PSI is playing a pivotal role in shaping pivotal guidelines on health worker migration. The organisation’s input to the International Labour Organisation’s (ILO) fair recruitment rules was significant, particularly the part related to barring recruitment fees for migrant labour.

Gencianos emphasised the detriments of exorbitant recruitment fees often charged from workers, likening these to modern bonded labour conditions. She reminded the assembly that as an ILO member, the UK government bears the responsibility to enforce this labour standard. It is crucial to eliminate such unlawful fees not only legally but also in practice.

Applauding UNISON’s campaign to abolish the employer tied care visa and shift the accountability to the government, she characterised it as a robust, strategic move towards rectifying a system founded on inequality. She concluded her address by reinforcing the need for solidarity against the underlying factors propelling migration and exploitation.

Gamu Nyasoro, who represents the nursing and midwifery occupational group, proposed a motion for the enhancement of conditions for internationally recruited nurses and midwives. Nyasoro emphasised that migrant health workers are considering leaving the NHS given the better remuneration possibilities in different countries.

She urged a comprehensive reassessment of the current approach to retaining overseas health workers, describing it as vital to not undervalue their substantial contribution to the NHS. Nyasoro also pointed at the shortage of core staff benefits for overseas nurses in the NHS, such as pensions, along with a higher prevalence of harassment.

Speaking in support of the motion, Hetty Okonji of the Bedfordshire Health branch said that international nurses and midwives come as an invaluable asset to the NHS. Any exodus among them would mean losing their precious skills and knowledge to places with less harsh and discriminatory immigration policies.

Okonji reflected on the futility of bringing in international workers if measures to retain them are not put in place, likening it to a wasted investment. Subsequently, two other motions were presented, both aimed at improving the support provided to migrant workers.

In the first motion, speaker Carlene Brown discussed the discrimination, exploitation, and social isolation often faced by migrant workers. She contended that it was not enough for healthcare services to be accessible; they must also adapt to diverse cultures.

The second speaker brought to light the care visa’s implications. This visa tied to the employer could cause a massive imbalance of power and potentially expose the worker to mistreatment without any regulatory safeguards or accountability.

Both proposals urged the service group to enhance the union’s visibility among migrant care workers. They advocated for more tailored advice mechanisms for organizers in the migrant workforce, underlining the important role a union can play in guiding such workers in their career.