title: Diaspora engagement of African migrant health workers - examples from five destination countries.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Migrant health workers fill care gaps in their destination countries, but they also actively engage in improving living conditions for people of their countries of origin through expatriate professional networks. This paper aims to explore the professional links that migrant health workers from sub-Saharan African countries living in five African and European destinations (Botswana, South Africa, Belgium, Austria, and the United Kingdom) have to their countries of origin.
  
  
  METHODS
  Qualitative interviews were conducted with migrant doctors, nurses, and midwives from sub-Saharan Africa (N=66). A qualitative content analysis of the material was performed using the software ATLAS.ti.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Almost all migrant health workers have professional ties with their countries of origin supporting health, education, and social structures. They work with non-governmental organizations, universities, or hospitals and travel back and forth between their destination country and country of origin. For a few respondents, professional engagement or even maintaining private contacts in their country of origin is difficult due to the political situation at home.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results show that African migrant health workers are actively engaged in improving living conditions not only for their family members but also for the population in general in their countries of origin. Our respondents are mediators and active networkers in a globalized and transnationally connected world. The research suggests that the governments of these countries of origin could strategically use their migrant health workforce for improving education and population health in sub-Saharan Africa. Destination countries should be reminded of their need to comply with the WHO Global Code of Practice for the international recruitment of health professionals.
authors.affiliation: Department of General Practice and Family Medicine, Centre of Public Health, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria; silviawoj@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wojczewski
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine and Primary Healthcare, Ghent University, University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Annelien
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Poppe
authors.affiliation: Department of General Practice and Family Medicine, Centre of Public Health, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Kathryn
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hoffmann
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine and Primary Healthcare, Ghent University, University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Wim
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Peersman
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine, University of Botswana, Gaborone, Botswana.
authors.forename: Oathokwa
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Nkomazana
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pentz
authors.affiliation: Department of General Practice and Family Medicine, Centre of Public Health, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Ruth
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kutalek
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017954:Africa South of the Sahara; D035843:Biomedical Research; D003906:Developing Countries / Q000191:economics; D054242:Emigrants and Immigrants; D005060:Europe; D005260:Female; D005550:Foreign Medical Graduates; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008880:Midwifery; D009726:Nurses / Q000600:supply & distribution; D064700:Nurses, International; D010820:Physicians / Q000600:supply & distribution; D036301:Qualitative Research
keywords: doctors; health-care professionals; international migration; nurses; sub-Sahara Africa