Mr. Paul Bell:

Let us explore how some of these successful people arrived in the private sector. The recruitment process of private sector employers is very direct and aggressive. They know the market exists. There are various incentives to attract staff. The recruitment process itself is very fast and focused. We want public health service employment to be seen as the employment of choice. Various strategies would have to be agreed to attract the staff back. There are very good reasons people would like to work in the public health service, and there are various opportunities within the public health service.

Competing with those who attract staff abroad is a bit more complicated because sometimes various professionals and health workers see that the development of their career and skill set can be achieved abroad. However, the problem that arises is partly related to the fact that there may be precarious work. In other words, staff may end up doing agency work or may not be able to get a full-time contract. That is not just in one particular sector of the health service; it is spread right across.