Shruti Bhardwaj, Bino Paul
The authors conclude that India's implementation of the Code has been limited, and its efforts to comply with it have been minimal. Stronger international accountability mechanisms, alongside targeted national strategies, may improve the Code's relevance and effectiveness in source countries facing workforce shortages.
OBJECTIVE: To address the health human resources shortage and mitigate the adverse effects of health workforce migration from developing countries with health human resource shortages to developed countries, the World Health Organization (WHO) introduced the Global Code of Practice on the International Recruitment of Health Personnel in 2010. It is a voluntary framework that serves as a guideline for the recruitment of international health human resources. This study examines the contribution of the WHO Code in India, which was previously classified by the WHO as a country with a shortage of health human resources, within the specific context of the nursing profession. The study examines how the adoption of the code contributed to India's progress towards achieving nursing workforce sustainability.
METHODS: Using a non-experimental, theory-based evaluation approach called Contribution Analysis, the study evaluates the contribution of the WHO Global Code of Practice on the International Recruitment of Health Personnel to achieving nursing workforce sustainability in India. The study used five evidence sources to analyse the Code's theory of change.
FINDINGS: The implementation, dissemination, and contribution of the Code in India remain limited. Despite its intention to guide ethical international recruitment, the Code has yet to translate into significant policy or structural changes in India. Resource-constrained countries, such as India, continue to face health workforce challenges, and evidence suggests that the Code has made only a limited contribution to addressing nursing workforce shortages.
CONCLUSION: The authors conclude that India's implementation of the Code has been limited, and its efforts to comply with it have been minimal. Stronger international accountability mechanisms, alongside targeted national strategies, may improve the Code's relevance and effectiveness in source countries facing workforce shortages.