FULL LIST: UK stops recruiting healthcare workers from Nigeria, 53 others

The United Kingdom has placed Nigeria and 53 other countries
on the red list of countries that should not be actively targeted for
recruitment by health and social care employers.

The announcement was contained in the revised code of
practice for the international recruitment of health and social care personnel
in England.

It is recommended that employers, recruitment organisations,
agencies, collaborations, and contracting bodies check the red country list for
updates before any recruitment drive.

It defined active international recruitment in the code as
the process by which UK health and social care employers (including local
authorities), contracting bodies, recruitment organisations, agencies,
collaborations, and sub-contractors target individuals to market UK employment
opportunities, with the intention of recruiting to a role in the UK health or
social care sector. It includes both physical or virtual targeting, and whether
or not these actions lead to substantive employment.

The code of practice applies to the appointment of all
international health and social care personnel in the UK, including all
permanent, temporary, and locum staff in clinical and non-clinical settings.

This includes but is not limited to allied health
professionals, care workers, dentists, doctors, healthcare scientists, medical
staff, midwives, nursing staff, residential and domiciliary care workers,
social workers, and support staff.

Recall that in 2021, the UK suspended the recruitment of
healthcare workers from Nigeria and 46 other countries, noting that the
increasing scale of health and social care worker migration from low and
lower-middle-income countries threatens the achievement of their nation’s
health and social care goals.

The WHO on March 8, 2023, listed Nigeria and other 54
countries as facing the most pressing health workforce challenges related to
universal health coverage.

There are currently 11,055 Nigerian-trained doctors in the
UK, based on statistics obtained from the UK General Medical Council, the
government body that maintains the official register of medical practitioners.

Nigeria has the third highest number of foreign doctors
working in the UK after India, and Pakistan.

The UK, however, in its revised code of practice said the
health and social care organisations in England do not actively recruit from
those countries the WHO recognises as having the most pressing health and care
workforce-related challenges unless there is a government-to-government
agreement to support managed recruitment activities.

The countries placed on the red list of ‘No active
recruitment’ in alphabetical order 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.