Developing countries - recruitment

The newly revised (25 February 2021) Department of Health and Social Care Code of Practice for International Recruitment states that some developing countries should not be targeted when actively recruiting healthcare professionals.

This country list below is based upon the World Health Organisation Health (WHO) Workforce Support and Safeguard List, 2020 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.