South Africa and the Surgical Diaspora-A Hub for Surgical Migration and Training
Rudolfson, Niclas LU ; Lantz, Adam LU ; Shrime, Mark G LU ; Johnson, Walter ; Smith, Martin D and Hagander, Lars LU
(2023)
In World Journal of Surgery
47(7).
p.1684-1691
- Abstract
BACKGROUND: The shortage of trained surgeons, anesthesiologists, and obstetricians is a major contributor to the unmet need for surgical care in low- and middle-income countries, and the shortage is aggravated by migration to higher-income countries.
METHODS: We performed a cross-sectional observational study, combining individual-level data of 43,621 physicians from the Health Professions Council of South Africa with data from the registers of 14 high-income countries, and international statistics on surgical workforce, in order to quantify migration to and from South Africa in both absolute and relative terms.
RESULTS: Of 6670 surgeons, anesthesiologists, and obstetricians in South Africa, a total of 713 (11%) were foreign... (More)
BACKGROUND: The shortage of trained surgeons, anesthesiologists, and obstetricians is a major contributor to the unmet need for surgical care in low- and middle-income countries, and the shortage is aggravated by migration to higher-income countries.
METHODS: We performed a cross-sectional observational study, combining individual-level data of 43,621 physicians from the Health Professions Council of South Africa with data from the registers of 14 high-income countries, and international statistics on surgical workforce, in order to quantify migration to and from South Africa in both absolute and relative terms.
RESULTS: Of 6670 surgeons, anesthesiologists, and obstetricians in South Africa, a total of 713 (11%) were foreign medical graduates, and 396 (6%) were from a low- or middle-income country. South Africa was an important destination primarily for physicians originating from low-income countries; 2% of all surgeons, anesthesiologists, and obstetricians from low- and middle-income countries were registered in South Africa, and 6% in the other 14 recipient countries. A total of 1295 (16%) South African surgeons, anesthesiologists, and obstetricians worked in any of the 14 studied high-income countries.
CONCLUSION: South Africa is an important regional hub for surgical migration and training. A notable proportion of surgical specialists in South Africa were medical graduates from other low- or middle-income countries, whereas migration out of South Africa to high-income countries was even larger.
(Less)
- author
- Rudolfson, Niclas
LU
; Lantz, Adam
LU
; Shrime, Mark G
LU
; Johnson, Walter
; Smith, Martin D
and Hagander, Lars
LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2023-04-08
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- in
- World Journal of Surgery
- volume
- 47
- issue
- 7
- pages
- 1684 - 1691
- publisher
- Springer
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:85152044094
- pmid:37029798
- ISSN
- 1432-2323
- DOI
- 10.1007/s00268-023-06990-x
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- additional info
- © 2023. The Author(s).
- id
- ab8342f0-9108-405a-8be6-27700837142a
- date added to LUP
- 2023-04-14 12:46:40
- date last changed
- 2024-06-15 01:55:16
@article{ab8342f0-9108-405a-8be6-27700837142a,
abstract = {{<p>BACKGROUND: The shortage of trained surgeons, anesthesiologists, and obstetricians is a major contributor to the unmet need for surgical care in low- and middle-income countries, and the shortage is aggravated by migration to higher-income countries.</p><p>METHODS: We performed a cross-sectional observational study, combining individual-level data of 43,621 physicians from the Health Professions Council of South Africa with data from the registers of 14 high-income countries, and international statistics on surgical workforce, in order to quantify migration to and from South Africa in both absolute and relative terms.</p><p>RESULTS: Of 6670 surgeons, anesthesiologists, and obstetricians in South Africa, a total of 713 (11%) were foreign medical graduates, and 396 (6%) were from a low- or middle-income country. South Africa was an important destination primarily for physicians originating from low-income countries; 2% of all surgeons, anesthesiologists, and obstetricians from low- and middle-income countries were registered in South Africa, and 6% in the other 14 recipient countries. A total of 1295 (16%) South African surgeons, anesthesiologists, and obstetricians worked in any of the 14 studied high-income countries.</p><p>CONCLUSION: South Africa is an important regional hub for surgical migration and training. A notable proportion of surgical specialists in South Africa were medical graduates from other low- or middle-income countries, whereas migration out of South Africa to high-income countries was even larger.</p>}},
author = {{Rudolfson, Niclas and Lantz, Adam and Shrime, Mark G and Johnson, Walter and Smith, Martin D and Hagander, Lars}},
issn = {{1432-2323}},
language = {{eng}},
month = {{04}},
number = {{7}},
pages = {{1684--1691}},
publisher = {{Springer}},
series = {{World Journal of Surgery}},
title = {{South Africa and the Surgical Diaspora-A Hub for Surgical Migration and Training}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00268-023-06990-x}},
doi = {{10.1007/s00268-023-06990-x}},
volume = {{47}},
year = {{2023}},
}