Mixed reactions as Uganda exits health worker recruitment red list

What the report says

Kampala, Uganda — The World Health Organization has removed Uganda from its Health Workforce Support and Safeguards List, a register of countries with severe shortages where active international recruitment is discouraged. The Independent Uganda reported that the change has prompted mixed reactions among health sector stakeholders, with some seeing new chances for labour export and others warning about pressure on the domestic health system.

According to Christabel Abewe of the WHO Uganda office, Uganda’s health indicators have improved enough to leave the list, and the country is now producing more workers in some cadres than the local system can absorb. She said this could create room to formalise recruitment abroad, especially for nurses and midwives, and potentially earn foreign exchange. The report also said Uganda has previously received recruitment interest from countries including the United Kingdom and Germany, but bilateral arrangements were constrained while the country remained on the safeguards list.

The article noted that former Uganda Medical Association president Dr Ekwaro Obuku has long argued for organised labour export, while economist and export officials said better data and stronger packaging of health services will be needed if Uganda is to benefit. At the same time, Uganda Medical Association president Dr Frank Asiimwe cautioned that exports should not weaken staffing at home, suggesting health workers first serve at least three years in Uganda before working abroad.

The discussion comes as a Makerere University-based research centre has been examining Uganda’s potential for health service exports. The broader issue matters because it sits at the intersection of job creation, foreign earnings and the country’s ability to retain enough skilled health workers for public care.