Willie Penrose (Westmeath, Labour)
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Question 137: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the policy of Ireland in relation to the poaching of African health care workers by western governments from the national health service of such countries as Malawi and Zambia which have less that one health worker per thousand of population. [19705/06]

Conor Lenihan (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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Many developing countries, especially in Africa, are experiencing an acute shortage of health workers. They have insufficient health workers to provide even the most basic services to their citizens.

There is clear evidence today that a low density of health workers results in poor health outcomes. Without a strong health workforce, advances in health care cannot reach and benefit the people who need them. Unless the situation is addressed in these countries, they have little prospect of controlling diseases such as HIV/AIDS or TB, or improving the health of women and children.

In Africa, the health worker shortage is a result of a number of factors, including insufficient investment in training of health workers, poor conditions of service and loss of health workers from AIDS. The problem is compounded by migration of health workers to western countries which need to recruit internationally to meet their own workforce shortage.

The Government is opposed to poaching of health workers by active recruitment measures in countries where this would undermine the provision of essential health services. We are responding in a way that takes account of the rights of health workers to travel and seek employment in other countries. Our main approach to address this issue is through good recruitment practices — managing international recruitment of health workers in a way that does not compound the workforce problem in the poorest countries.

The Government has already developed some measures for good recruitment practice. In 2001, the Department of Health and Children developed a document on Guidance for Best Practice on the Recruitment of Overseas Nurses and Midwives. This includes recruitment from non-EU countries.

On World Health Day this year, the 7th April, the Government joined with the EU Member States in expressing its commitment to act in solidarity with those developing countries hardest hit by shortages of nurses, doctors and other health workers. The Government will work with other States to develop an EU Action Plan which will include the development and implementation of an EU Code of Conduct for ethical recruitment of health workers.