Abstract:

Nearly all countries in the Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) could not achieve the set targets of MDG 4 and 5 due to shortage of skilled health personnel. According to literature, the shortage (health-related disaster) was chiefly caused by the migration of health professionals from SSA to developed and rich countries and this has resulted to the weak health systems experiencing in the sub-continent. However, the first two set targets of SDG 3 meant to consolidate MDG 4 and 5 would be difficult to achieve, if the health workers shortage is not addressed. The paper therefore x-rays the trends and causes of skilled health personnel migration and how their migration is militating against achieving SDG 3. Ten countries were selected from SSA, based on their population size: three countries from the western and two each from the central, eastern and southern. Four prominent destination countries of migrant skilled personnel from SSA were equally selected. Data on migration of health professionals was collected from Southwestern Nigeria, while secondary data on child and maternal mortality were adopted and analyzed from the WHO and NDHS. The findings show that skilled health personnel are migrating to the rich and developed countries. The reasons of their migration are still pivoted on “Push-Pull” factors. The neonatal, under-five and maternal mortality (disaster) is still high in the selected SSA countries, particularly countries with low population size. The ratio of one skilled health personnel to a number of patients in SSA is significantly low compared to those of the rich and developed countries. The paper therefore concludes that for SSA countries to achieve SDG 3, government of both the sending and receiving countries, with the aid from international community should work towards the implementation of the WHO Global Code of Practice on the International Recruitment of Health Personnel in 2010.