The Health Workforce Migration Policy initiative

Keynote speak by Deputy Minister of Health Rigmor Aasrud – video conference

Honorable Mary Robinson,
dr Francis Omaswa,
Distinguished participants,

Let me start by thanking you for the invitation to take part in the opening of this global dialogue on health workforce migration.

The international, and national, focus on challenges related to health workforce migration is steadily increasing. It is promising to see the increasing efforts made to address the worldwide shortage and maldistribution of health workers.

In Norway the awareness related to the challenges of the future need for health personnel is growing. From a Norwegian perspective, migration offers both challenges and opportunities to the development of our societies.

The Norwegian government has made it clear that it will abstain from active recruitment of health personnel from developing countries. Priority is given to recruiting sufficient personnel domestically. This includes maintaining a high level of education capacity, improving the working environment, increase the share of full-time workers, decentralized college studies and qualifying personnel already working within the health services.

As said by my colleague, the deputy minister of Foreign Affairs, the government is currently undergoing its health workforce policy. This spring a White paper on migration and labour will be presented to the parliament.

We believe that to meet these challenges it is important to seek good cooperation between relevant sectors. This is about more than a health issue. The challenges of health personnel may not be solved by the health sector alone. A comprehensive approach involving the educational sector, labour and integration authorities as well as foreign affairs and development aid is needed.

In Norway, we are in the process of establishing two working groups. These multisectoral groups will examine possible national measures and measures with regard to development aid.

The Norwegian government is engaged and will contribute to the development of international standards for recruitment of health personnel. We follow closely the processes initiated by the WHO and the Global Health Workforce Alliance and look forward to the initial debates in the World Health Assembly.

Finally, I would like to express our appreciation with this excellent initiative. I wish you all the best with this virtual global dialog, a dialog in which Norway will contribute actively.

Thank you.