Code of Practice red and amber list of countries
The Code of Practice for International Recruitment states that some developing countries should not be targeted when actively recruiting health or care professionals.
This country list below is based upon the World Health Organisation Health (WHO) Workforce Support and Safeguard List, 2023 and will be updated alongside scheduled progress reports on WHO Global Code implementation and reported to the World Health Assembly every three years.
The countries listed have a UHC Service Coverage Index that is lower than 50 and a density of doctors, nurses and midwives that is below the global median (48.6 per 10,000 population).
The list doesn’t prevent individual health and social care personnel from independently applying to health and social care employers for employment in the UK, of their own accord and without being targeted by a third party, such as a recruitment agency or employer (known as a direct application).
Red List Countries
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Afghanistan |
Angola |
Bangladesh |
Benin |
Burkina Faso |
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Burundi |
Cameroon |
Central African Republic |
Chad |
Comoros |
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Congo |
Congo, Democratic Republic of |
Côte d'Ivoire |
Djibouti |
Equatorial Guinea |
|
Eritrea |
Ethiopia |
Gabon |
Gambia, The |
Ghana |
|
Guinea |
Guinea-Bissau |
Haiti |
Kiribati |
Laos |
|
Lesotho |
Liberia |
Madagascar |
Malawi |
Mali |
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Mauritania |
Micronesia, Federated States of |
Mozambique |
Niger |
Nigeria |
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Pakistan |
Papua New Guinea |
Rwanda |
Samoa |
Senegal |
|
Sierra Leone |
Solomon Islands |
Somalia |
South Sudan |
Sudan |
|
Timor-Leste |
Togo |
Tuvalu |
Tanzania, United Republic of |
Uganda |
|
Vanuatu |
Yemen, Republic of |
Zambia |
Zimbabwe |
Amber List Countries
Kenya: As of 11 November 2021, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has announced that Kenya has been added to the amber list of countries in the Code of Practice for the International Recruitment of Health and Social Care Personnel in England.
This means employers and recruitment agencies, including NHS trusts, must stop all active recruitment of health and social care personnel from Kenya to the UK with immediate effect. Please read this news article for more information.
Nepal: As of 22 August 2022, DHSC has announced that the governments of Nepal and of the United Kingdom have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on the managed and ethical recruitment of Nepalese healthcare workers to the UK as part of a trail.
However, the MOU does not allow organisations to actively recruit from Nepal. By virtue of this MOU, Nepal is now on the amber list. Please read this news article for more information.
Government-to-government agreements
Below is a list of government-to-government agreements for the Code of Practice:
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Kenya - NOTE: as Kenya is on the Amber list, no active recruitment should take place outside of the conditions of the MoU
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Nepal - NOTE: as Nepal is on the Amber list, no active recruitment should take place outside of the conditions of the MoU
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Malaysia (currently on the green list)
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Philippines (currently on the green list)
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India (currently on the green list)
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Sri Lanka (currently on the green list).
