Emigration of nurses from the Caribbean: causes and consequences for the socio-economic welfare of the country, Trinidad and Tobago: a case study

Abstract

The paper will examine the migration of nurses in the Caribbean Small Island Developing States over the last 50 years, focusing on the situation in Trinidad and Tobago. It will make an attempt to assess the scope of nurse migration by drawing on data available in Trinidad and Tobago as well as in the two main destination countries, the United States and the United Kingdom. The main push factors triggering this mass exodus in the homeland and the various counteracting strategies adopted will be presented. To capture the whole picture, the different pull factors in the receiving countries attracting foreign migrants will be analyzed. Since the emigration of the skilled is not a new phenomenon and its implications on the developing countries are becoming increasingly severe, various efforts have been undertaken at the regional, as well as at global level to address this increasing global imbalance and its implications and to find viable solutions for all parties concerned. The economic implications of the emigration of health professionals will be studied using a model currently developed by the World Health Organization (WHO). Last but not least, based on the findings of this analysis, policy recommendations will be formulated to be used as a guideline for concerned policy makers at various national and international levels.