Sudanese Medical Diaspora: Options for Contribution to Health System

Migration of medical doctors is a growing global phenomenon. It has affected health systems of many developing countries particularly African countries. Sudan is one of African countries that has long been affected by migration of medical doctors. More than 60% of Sudanese medical doctors are practicing abroad. This has implicated negatively on health care delivery system and population health in Sudan. Efforts to solve the problem of doctors' migration in Sudan were unsuccessful. These included efforts to stop migration like application of travel restrictive policies to medical doctors, in addition to efforts to manage migration such as attempts to retain highly specialized doctors. A global shift in management of migration has been noticed recently. This includes utilization of Diaspora Options in the development of health care delivery systems in countries of origin. This study is an exploratory study. It explored the potentials of the Sudanese expatriate medical doctors to contribute to the health care delivery system in Sudan and identified the opportunities and barriers that might support or hinder their contribution.

Autorentext
Fayrouz Abdalla is a public health physician with expertise in health systems and human resources development. Mayeh Omar is a senior academic and international health systems/health management consultant, University of Leeds, UK.