The impact of global inequities on health professional migration

Health determinants and how they are distributed have an important impact on health systems around the world. Nurses can play a significant role in mediating the effects of many of these determinants both inside the health care system and outside. Yet the areas that have the greatest health inequities and heaviest disease burdens have the fewest health workers. A number of efforts are underway to understand and manage health care worker migration. Intersectoral collaboration is key, as are other factors necessary to build strong health systems, including research for development, capacity-building, integrated health systems, evidence-based decision-making, a strong and vibrant civil society and accountability and transparency in the public and private sectors.