logo
episode-header-image
Jun 2023
28m 42s

Ghana's healthcare brain drain

Bbc Radio 4
About this episode

Kate Adie introduces stories from Ghana's hospitals, the Chinese-Russian border, Syrian refugees in Lebanon, a research station on Australia's Great Barrier Reef and the streets of Limerick in Ireland.

Ghana is one of several African countries which say their health services are being sapped by a slow bleed of doctors and nurses going abroad - to earn vastly better salaries in the UK and elsewhere. Naomi Grimley spoke to medical staff in rural Kwaso and in the city of Accra about the push and pull factors on their minds.

After a drastic contraction during the periods of pandemic lockdown, China-Russia trade is on the rebound, and China's government is bullish about the prospects for recovery. At ground level things may not look so rosy. Ankur Shah reflects on the cross-border relations he saw reflected on the streets of the city of Manzhouli.

There's been a backlash in Lebanon against the hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees still living in the country - twelve years after the start of the civil war in Syria. Recently there was an outcry over the case of a seven-year-old schoolgirl whose parents had been deported back to Damascus - while she sat in a Lebanese classroom. Carine Torbey went to meet her and hear her story.

The Great Barrier Reef is one of the most-studied coral formations on Earth - and Australia's government often claims that it's also one of the best-protected and best-managed. Marine scientists who've been working there over the long term have seen some changes, and are concerned about the future - especially if ocean temperatures continue to rise. Michelle Jana Chan hear about the state of the science on Lizard Island.

And: is keeping horses in a lockup garage in a major city - or driving them with two-wheeled carriages on a main road - a public nuisance, or a wholesome pastime? Bob Howard has been talking to the "sulky racers" of Limerick, and hearing why the sound of horses' hooves seems unlikely to disappear from Ireland's urban landscapes.

Producer: Polly Hope Editor: Richard Vadon Production Co-Ordinator: Janet Staples

Up next
Aug 22
Russia blames West for deepening crisis
Kate Adie presents stories from Russia, with authorities defiant as the war impact is felt; a grim Ebola milestone in the DRC; Brazil's presidential campaign and the small Bulgarian city chosen to host Eurovision.Moscow has issued a warning to the UK of 'consequences' following c ... Show More
29m 8s
Aug 15
Afghanistan: Five years after the Taliban takeover
Kate Adie introduces stories on the hidden networks providing vital lifelines to women and girls in Afghanistan, Gaza's tech entrepreneurs rebooting the digital economy, China's bogus dating agencies, and the hunt for a hard-to-find critter in the Australian bush. It's been five ... Show More
29 m
Aug 8
China's alleged 'Fentanyl King' and the Mexican cartels
Kate Adie introduces stories about China's alleged 'Fentanyl King', how Odesa's famous sense of humour is responding to Russian attacks, Delhi's new EV push, and rising child obesity rates in southern Italy.After Zhang Zhidong graduated from China's most-prestigious university, h ... Show More
29m 19s
Recommended Episodes
Jun 2023
What conditions are African nurses facing abroad?
In March this year, the W-H-O identified 55 countries as facing the “most pressing health workforce challenges”. Basically, nations where there are less than 49 doctors, nurses and midwives per 10,000 people – the global average. Forty-one of them are in Africa. In response, some ... Show More
22m 25s
Aug 2019
Detained Nigeria Shia leader to be freed to travel abroad for medical treatment
We explore the trials and tribulations of domestic workers in Africa; Dozens die in Libya drone attack; And the human breast milk bank newly opened in Nairobi. 
27m 47s
Oct 2022
The Brain Drain
Paul Kenyon investigates the ‘brain drain’ of doctors from developing countries to work in the UK. The large scale recruitment of foreign doctors from nations with the greatest need to retain their medical personnel is increasing on a massive scale. What’s more, thousands of doct ... Show More
36m 44s