BMJ News examines details of the WHO Global Code of Practice on the International Recruitment of Health Personnel (.pdf) agreed upon last Friday by member countries during the World Health Assembly (WHA) that “discourages countries from actively recruiting from poor nations facing critical staff shortages.”

In addition, the code “calls for countries which recruit staff from poorer countries to fund the training of health professionals in those countries” and “also recommends countries should ‘facilitate circular migration of health personnel [the freedom for medical personnel who have emigrated to go back and forth without restrictions]’ so that skills and knowledge achieved can benefit both source and destination countries,” BMJ News writes.

BMJ News continues: “Although the term financial ‘compensation’ is not included in the code, there is an expectation that donor countries and international institutions will support poor countries for the loss of health personnel both with technical expertise and financially, [Manuel Dayrit, WHO director of human resources for health and a former minister of health of the Philippines,] said.” The WHO plans to monitor the implementation of the voluntary code and deliver a report on developments within five years, according to the journal.

The piece includes comments by WHO Director-General Margaret Chan and Richard Sezibera, Rwanda’s minister of health, and adds details on additional resolutions adopted by member states during the WHA (Zarocostas, 5/25).