Introduction

As the world becomes more globalized, brain drain becomes a more pressing issue. Recently, brain drain has rapidly gained even more urgency and attention. This is due to the loss of skilled workers, which has created impacts for many countries and local communities. A regional case study in Ghana shows the humanitarian impacts of this crisis. Additionally, international cooperation and policy affect the future of this issue globally. As brain drain continues to create social, humanitarian, and cultural impacts, this committee must address this crucial issue.

Brain Drain in Sub-Saharan Africa

In the last few months, the impacts of brain drain have increased in the region of Sub-Saharan Africa. This is particularly felt in the healthcare sector, which faces immense losses from brain drain. This can be seen in Ghana, where the healthcare system lacks enough doctors and nurses. Thousands of experienced and trained medical professionals leave the country for better working conditions and pay elsewhere. Staff tend to migrate to places such as the United Kingdom, the United States, and Canada.

The situation has become so severe to the point where many hospitals in Ghana now report they operate with only a small fraction of the staff that they need. In December 2025, the Upper East Regional Hospital in Ghana stated that the hospital is facing operational struggles and would possibly shut down if the situation is not addressed. These struggles lead to delays in procedures and surgeries that raise the mortality rate and crumble the healthcare infrastructure. It also increases the reliance of many citizens on private medical practitioners or treatments abroad, perpetuating the same global cycle that drives brain drain.

This crisis in Ghana has contributed to a USD 10 billion medical tourism leak for Africa. This money could have otherwise been used to help build up local infrastructure and support communities. Meanwhile, more developed countries have increased their recruitment to fill in gaps for their own aging staff. Recently, many healthcare workers have retired, but patient numbers have grown. This has increased the demand for healthcare workers. This creates a reliance on other countries for international workers, meaning that this crisis is only becoming more intense.

Outside of Ghana, this issue is just as persistent. In Nigeria, over 6,700 healthcare workers have been lost to the United Kingdom’s National Health Service. Searching for better opportunities for higher wages and to further their careers, many skilled workers have decided their talents and abilities could be better used elsewhere. At the same time, countries such as Chad, Uganda, and Sudan struggle significantly with a lack of medical professionals due to high emigration rates.

This situation in Ghana and other countries in the region shows that brain drain is not only an economic problem. Brain drain is also a humanitarian crisis that affects basic rights to health, safety, and development. Delegates must consider ways countries cooperate without taking advantage of less developed countries. Additionally, governments need to assess the broader social and economic impacts of shifting population demographics, including how migration affects healthcare systems.

Shortcomings in International Cooperation

Due to brain drain, many developing countries do not have enough teachers, engineers, and healthcare workers. This leads to weak public services and poor access to education. As a result, communities find it harder to develop and improve poverty levels. In response, the World Health Organization (WHO) has revised its Safeguard List, better known as its “Red List.” The Red List identifies countries with unstable and fragile health systems and states that any recruitment of healthcare workers from their workforce is unsustainable and unhealthy.

Although developed countries are urged not to recruit skilled workers from these places, many do so anyway. This is due to a lack of accountability in the international community. Recent findings show that the United Kingdom’s National Health Service is relying increasingly on staff from other countries. Most of these countries already face healthcare worker shortages. About nine percent of healthcare workers in the UK come from countries on the WHO Red List. Once they arrive, these migrant healthcare workers may face assimilation challenges in a destination country, so individual worker rights within destination countries should also be protected.

This may not seem like a big problem, as migration does help healthcare systems in countries like the United Kingdom. However, the effects on the countries losing skilled workers are serious. When large numbers of professionals leave, whether in healthcare, education, engineering, or other critical sectors, public services and infrastructure can decline. This can lead to reduced access to essential services, higher social and economic vulnerabilities, and intensified effects of poverty. Papua New Guinea already struggles with limited resources in its healthcare system. As trained workers leave, communities in the country suffer. Additionally, skilled health workers leave underfunded systems at home for higher pay abroad, but they often end up in lower‑paid, lower‑skilled roles in Australia or New Zealand rather than practicing at their full capacity.

Some developed countries work to limit brain drain by hiring workers in a more ethical way. Canada, for example, uses an ethical recruitment framework based on the WHO’s Code of Practice to promote fair and responsible hiring of healthcare workers from other countries. Ethical recruitment is designed to ensure that workers are hired voluntarily, treated fairly, and that their departure does not actively weaken the health systems of their home countries. However, these approaches often fall short, as source countries rarely receive compensation or long-term support when skilled workers leave. “Ethical recruitment” is also often voluntary and loosely defined, which can limit its effectiveness. As a result, ethical hiring alone does not help lower-income countries build healthcare systems comparable to those of receiving countries.

Conclusion

The recent growth of brain drain and its impacts make it clear that the international community cannot ignore this problem. From sub-Saharan Africa to Papua New Guinea, the loss of skilled workers harms the well-being of communities. This threatens fundamental rights to sufficient public health and standards of living that SOCHUM is committed to protecting. Moving forward, this committee must act to address brain drain and support strong local health and education systems.

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