Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what cross-departmental work her Department is engaged in to increase the retention of trained medical staff from low income countries in those countries' health systems.

DFID funds the Health Partnership Scheme, which uses the skills of UK health professionals to train, mentor, and coach their developing country counterparts in their home countries. Over 25,000 health workers have received training and education through this scheme. As a complementary measure, the UK has also signed the World Health Organisation Global Code of Practice on the International Recruitment of Health Personnel and the Department of Health implements it through the UK Code of Practice for international recruitment. The UK Code specifies a list of developing countries that should not be targeted for international recruitment under any circumstances.