Can brain drain be slowed?

A new recruitment website has been launched as the latest step in a strategy to reverse the brain drain that is happening in southern African public hospitals. The site, which may be found at www.ahp.org.za, aims to market the opportunity to work in South Africa, largely to foreign professionals (where the Internet is a preferred channel of communication), and allows them to apply for work online.

South Africa continues to suffer from a chronic shortage of health professionals in its public and rural hospitals, despite the fact that 1200 doctors graduate from our universities each year. This is due to the fact that half of all graduates emigrate, while 75% of those that remain opt for private practice. This results in understaffed health facilities, where patients are not always able to access the care they deserve, and where the staff that do remain end up working under extremely high pressure.

Poor management must be addressed

Enticing South African professionals back into the public sector is a long-term challenge, which hinges on government's strategy to address the systemic issues in public healthcare, and specifically, issues of poor management in hospitals. For foreigners, however, a placement in South Africa can be very attractive for a few years - allowing them to gain exposure to diverse medical conditions, make a difference, and experience our wonderful way of life. Africa Health Placements (AHP) is a "social profit" recruitment organisation that was founded in 2005, on the basis of this insight. Since then, the organisation has placed over 1600 foreign qualified health professionals in South Africa, effectively reversing some of the brain drain via a zero-fee service. (The organisation also helps place local professionals where the demand exists).

Five years later, however, the time had come to look at the organisation's marketing strategies and find ways to be more effective.

Making the case for living and working in SA

Says Saul Kornik, AHP chief, "There are many well-funded and highly aggressive recruitment agencies working to entice South African health professionals to first world countries. We needed an approach that would allow us to be just as competitive. Research had shown a strong preference for the internet as a primary information source for health workers seeking opportunities overseas, so an online approach was the obvious choice."

The new site, developed by Stonewall Digital Marketing, makes a compelling and attractive case for a career stint in southern African rural medicine. It also attempts to make the associated regulations a little easier to navigate, and allows candidates to apply online. In addition, it attempts, through its news section, to give an idea of current events in the local health system. Of course, it is also supported by a robust Facebook and Twitter presence linked to the website. Finally, website reporting will make it possible to measure whether the approach has been effective in attracting an increased number of health professionals to our shores.