SA’s estimated net loss of physicians to OECD countries (2010–2014)
| OECD countries | Year 2010 | Year 2014 | Change | |||||||||
| Émigrés | Immigrants (observed n) | Immigrants (adjusted n) | Net loss observed (rate) | Net loss adjusted (rate) | Émigrés | Immigrants (observed n) | Immigrants (adjusted n) | Net loss observed (rate) | Net loss adjusted (rate) | Observed n (%) | Adjusted n (%) | |
| UK | 6175 | 325 | 799 | −5850 (−19%) | −5376 (−18%) | 5276 | 422 | 862 | −4854 (−14%) | −4414 (−12%) | 996 (−17%) | 963 (−18%) |
| Canada | 2405 | 39 | 96 | −2366 (−8%) | −2309 (−8%) | 2605 | 48 | 98 | −2557 (−7%) | −2507 (−7%) | −191 (8%) | −198 (9%) |
| Australia | 2209 | 28 | 69 | −2181 (−7%) | −2140 (−7%) | 1780 | 31 | 63 | −1749 (−5%) | −1717 (−5%) | 432 (−20%) | 424 (−20%) |
| Ireland | 1582 | 28 | 69 | −1554 (−5%) | −1513 (−5%) | 662 | 21 | 43 | −641 (−2%) | −619 (−2%) | 913 (−59%) | 894 (−59%) |
| United States | 1507 | 45 | 111 | −1462 (−5%) | −1396 (−5%) | 1406 | 57 | 116 | −1349 (−4%) | −1290 (−4%) | 113 (-8%) | 107 (−8%) |
| New Zealand | 787 | 0 | 0 | −787 (−3%) | −787 (−3%) | 720 | 0 | 0 | −720 (−2%) | −720 (−2%) | 67 (−9%) | 67 (−9%) |
| Israel | 163 | 12 | 29 | −151 (−0.5%) | −134 (−0.4%) | 137 | 12 | 25 | −125 (−0.4%) | −112 (−0.3%) | 26 (−17%) | 21 (−16%) |
| Belgium | 36 | 73 | 179 | 37 (0.1%) | 143 (0.5%) | 47 | 75 | 153 | 28 (0.1%) | 106 (0.3%) | −9 (−24%) | −37 (−26%) |
| Netherlands | 41 | 80 | 197 | 39 (0.1%) | 156 (1%) | 28 | 125 | 255 | 97 (0.3%) | 227 (1%) | 58 (149%) | 72 (46%) |
| Poland | 0 | 70 | 172 | 70 (0.2%) | 172 (1%) | 0 | 67 | 137 | 67 (0.2%) | 137 (0.4%) | −3 (−4%) | −35 (−20%) |
| Germany | 11 | 101 | 248 | 90 (0.3%) | 237 (1%) | 9 | 102 | 208 | 93 (0.3%) | 199 (1%) | 3 (3%) | −38 (−16%) |
| Other (14) | 17 | 92 | 226 | 75 (0.2%) | 209 (1%) | 21 | 94 | 166 | 73 (0.2%) | 145 (0.4%) | −2 (−3%) | −65 (−31%) |
| Total | 14 933 | 893 | 2194 | −14 040 (−46%) | −12 739 (−42%) | 12 691 | 1054 | 2128 | −11 637 (−33%) | −10 563 (−30%) | 2403 (−17%) | 2175 (−17%) |
Data sources: OECD.Stat,22 General Medical Council Data Explorer,23 National Reporting Instrument (2015) reports database.24
Note. Observed n=number of identified immigrants from a given source country; adjusted n=observed n+((observed n÷total number of immigrants with known nationality)×(total number of immigrants with missing nationality data—5007 cases in 2010 and 4484 cases in 2014)). Net loss=number of OECD-origin immigrants registered in SA minus number of SA-IMGs (émigrés) registered in OECD countries. Net loss rate=net loss÷(total physician workforce in SA minus non-OECD immigrants)×100.
OECD, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development; SA, South Africa; SA-IMG, South African-trained international medical graduate.