The United Kingdom (UK) government has prioritized countries on its red list for health personnel development and health system-related support, according to the Code of Practice for the international recruitment of Health and social care personnel in England. However, active international recruitment of health personnel is discouraged, consistent with the WHO Global Code of Practice principles and articles.
Nepal and Kenya are on the amber list, permitting international recruitment only in compliance with the terms of a government-to-government agreement. On the other hand, active recruitment is permitted from green-graded countries that have such an agreement in place. India, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Sri Lanka are currently on the list.
The government-to-government agreement may set parameters for how UK employers, contracting bodies, recruitment organizations, agencies, and collaborations recruit. These organizations are encouraged to recruit on the terms of the agreement.
Recently, Nigeria was added to the UK's red list, where recruitment of health and social care personnel is only allowed if there is a government-to-government agreement in place. This decision was made based on the 10-year review of the World Health Organization's global code of practice on the International Recruitment of Health Personnel, which identified 55 countries facing the most pressing health workforce challenges related to Universal Health Coverage.
Employers, contracting bodies, recruitment organizations, agencies, and collaborations are advised to regularly check the list for updates before embarking on any recruitment campaign. The UK government's code of practice aims to ensure that health personnel recruitment is conducted ethically and in a way that supports health systems and personnel development.
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