Stopping Africa's medical brain drain

doi:10.1136/bmj.331.7507.2

BMJ 2005;331:2-3 (2 July), doi:10.1136/bmj.331.7507.2

Editorial

Stopping Africa's medical brain drain

The rich countries of the North must stop looting doctors andnurses from developing countries

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Africa will be the major focus of the G8 summit in Gleneaglesnext week, and rightly so. Nearly 11 million children aged under5 years are dying every year worldwide from treatable diseases.Most of them are living in developing countries, with more thanfour million of these deaths in sub-Saharan Africa.¹ Along withthe disastrous effects of warfare, HIV/AIDS is wiping out youngadults and leaving frail, malnourished children in the careof their siblings and grandparents.

It is difficult to see how the countries of sub-Saharan Africacan develop economically and politically when such large proportionsof their adult populations are living with chronic diseasessuch as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, and other tropicaldiseases. Antiretroviral drugs could make a dramatic difference,and so could appropriate aid. Although the developed countriesof the North are giving aid with one hand, they are robbingAfrican countries with the other . . . [Full text of this article]

James Johnson, chairman of council

BMA, BMA House, London WC1H 9JP
(jjohnson@bma.org.uk)

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