Migration of Nurses and Allied Healthcare Professionals from Sri Lanka: Role of the State Universities

The migration of healthcare professionals is a burdening issue in Sri Lanka. The country invests to produce these skilled graduates; however, due to multiple push factors such as low salaries, heavy workload, lack of professional identification, and on the other hand better wages, expanded career growth and facilities available with the technological advancement in developed countries motivate them to pursue their career in such countries. Migration provides both professional and economic benefits for the healthcare graduates, however, it negatively affects the healthcare system of the country mainly through brain drain, absence of return on investment for education, healthcare deficiencies, and poor services in the underserved areas. State universities in Sri Lanka produce these skilled healthcare graduates for local and international healthcare systems while facing numerous challenges. Addressing migration positively is a main responsibility of the universities, as migration has both positive and negative outcomes. Therefore, by taking necessary measures, universities can turn it into more positive than negative effects. Hence, universities can initiate measures including the revision of curricula with global standards, enhancing the language proficiency of graduates, and helping the government to establish legislation and policies for balancing migration and retention. Further, universities can promote ethical migration with a few arrangements such as service agreements, temporary migration programs and further improving the working conditions to avoid the brain drain while working with both the Ministry of Higher Education and the Ministry of Health. Transforming brain drain into brain circulation is a promising initiative to overcome issues associated with migration. This approach facilitates the mutual benefits for individual healthcare professionals, the country’s healthcare system, and their families.