Just read a story about experienced nurses migrating to developed countries in today's Hindustan Times, and found it very disturbing. I am no Healthcare expert, but common sense says that this definitely has large implications to the quality of Healthcare delivery in India. Nursing is an important and a niche profession in India, which has very few takers across the country (Have you heard of any little girl, saying she wants to become a nurse?) Migration can further mar the already bleak scenario of healthcare delivery in India.

Developed Countries have huge advantages as far as wages, working and living standards are concerned. Somethings that make experienced and talented people stop and stay back is the strong social network, stability or the belief in the India Story. 

The challenge that Hospitals and Healthcare in India face, is similar to a business, which employs freshers and takes them for granted (when they are new and when no one is willing to take them up) and later face a major challenge, when they arent able to retain staff, once they have got the good experience. 

If you have noticed, Nurses or "Sister" as we respectfully call them in our country, are generally emigrants most probably from Kerala. These people with their own sweet proprietory accent (in whichever language they speak to you), have already left their native and social circle for a job, and hence dont have a major social attachment. The language they speak is also different from what their patients speak. So what can really stop experienced nurses other than the attachment they could have with their peers and the organization they can work for?

Dissapointingly, if you read further in the same HT story, it also highlights that there have been 5 Strikes by Nurses in the last 6 months in New Delhi alone, which proves the dismal work conditions.

It seems no one cares for the Sisters of India, anymore. Sad.

Other sad highlights of Healthcare story:

1. India has a very low crisis like ratio of Healthcare Personnel to Population, a meagre 1.87 for every 1000 people. The Standard is 2.5. As per WHO, the risk of AIDS, Malaria, Maternal Deaths, Tubercolosis is multiply higher in countries where the Healthcare Personnel to Population ratio is low.

2. Nurses are so despondent for better living and working conditions in Inda, that they are ready to pay a one time fee of Rs. 50K to Rs. 500K to overseas job consultants, to get a job in a developed country.

Here's web link I could find to the entire article:http://www.hindustantimes.com/News-Feed/newdelhi/Nursing-a-foreign-dream/Article1-514546.aspx