Highly qualified Indian specialists are increasingly sought after in the German economy. Interesting prospects could also arise for hospitals, particularly in the field of nursing. Indian nurses are considered well-trained, hardworking and capable of integration. But Germany is taking inspiration from the WHO's “Global Code of Conduct for the International Recruitment of Health Professionals”, which states that nurses from countries with a serious shortage of health professionals should not be poached. Active attempts to recruit German hospitals to India are therefore prohibited.

From an ethical point of view, there is no obstacle to finding nurses in India, says Meiko Merda, health scientist and intercultural trainer, in the new issue of f&w. In India, it is not young healthcare workers that are lacking, but rather good jobs. Once the demand for nurses in India or abroad increases, more Indians will take up the nursing profession, Merda said. “If Germany recruited 20,000 nurses from India, the shortage of nursing staff would not worsen,” the health scientist said. Unlike many previously privileged countries of origin, for example in Southern or Eastern Europe, India can draw from a “virtually inexhaustible reservoir”.

However, no short-term relaxation in the management of the WHO code is expected at the moment, as shown in a statement from the Federal Ministry of Health (BMG) at the request of f&w. However, “the way in which the WHO Code of Conduct is applied cannot be changed immediately,” he says.

You can read a detailed article in the new issue of f&w titled “India: the new global health superpower”.