[e-drug] Brain-drain of health professionals (cont)

["Hillstrom, Scott" <Scott.Hillstrom@manchestercompanies.com>]

E-drug: Brain-drain of health professionals (cont)
---------------------------------------------

Avisha Neerahoo,

In the late 80's it seems that mass migrations of skilled workers
accelerated.  In the mid-90's I must confess to having been a part of
it.  Poland opened up to Western investment so my firm invested in
training Polish physiotherapists, who were clinically well trained, to
work in America.  Why did they come to America?  Because they had better
opportunities in America than they saw at home.  All of us seek better
opportunities.  The key to preventing emigration of pharmacists is to
give them better opportunities at home.

A couple years ago, the Cry For the World Foundation launched a
micro-franchise model for distribution of essential drugs in Kenya.  We
created opportunities of skilled health workers to own and operate their
own businesses.  We started by offering a very simple and basic business
opportunity to community health workers.  This year we are expanding the
offering to nurses so that we can offer a wider range of drugs plus some
primary healthcare services.

Health workers must raise 20% of the initial cost of establishing their
franchise health business--we lend them the rest.  They then use our
franchise operating system which includes the policies, procedures,
forms and the like necessary to run the business properly.  We have
strict rules to assure proper handling and administration of drugs.  A
hard working franchisee has the opportunity to build his or her own
business.  Over time, they can make an income and own a valuable asset.
They also have the prestige associated with being a leader in their
community.

This model is widely used in the US where pharmacists can operate their
own shops.  IN the US, such shops offer not only drugs but a wide
variety of consumer products as well.  The model can be scaled from the
major US operations down to the small community health worker model we
use in Kenya.  You might be interested to look into it as a way to
create opportunities that will be more attractive to pharmacists than
competing opportunities overseas.  To learn more, see our website
www.cryfoundation.org

All the best.

Scott Hillstrom
Scott.Hillstrom@manchestercompanies.com
[Please supply current affiliation and address.  BS]

--
To send a message to E-Drug, write to: e-drug@usa.healthnet.org
To subscribe or unsubscribe, write to: majordomo@usa.healthnet.org
in the body of the message type: subscribe e-drug OR unsubscribe e-drug
To contact a person, send a message to: e-drug-help@usa.healthnet.org
Information and archives: http://www.healthnet.org/programs/edrug.html