Gambia health workers including doctors and nurses have been put on an international recruitment red list following a review by the UK government. 

The announcement was made by the UK government in its revised code of practice for international recruitment of health and social care personnel in England.

The code states that some developing countries, such as Gambia and other 54 countries including Nigeria and Ghana should not be targeted when actively recruiting health or care professionals.

This is because the countries on the recruitment red list have a health coverage 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 UK government added that the list is based on World Health Organisation (WHO) Workforce Support and Safeguard List, 2023 and will be updated alongside progress reports on WHO Global Code implementation and reported to the World Health Assembly every three years.

However the list doesn’t prevent individual health and social care personnel from independent applying to health and social care employers for employment in the UK.