Page 67 - Human Rights
P. 67
Faculty of Nursing
Adult care Nursing Department
The UK government adopted a code of practice for the recruitment of health professionals from
abroad though this has been criticized as inadequate. Following the ICN Congress in Taiwan in May
2005, the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools and the ICN launched the
International Centre on Nurse Migration.
The Centre is intended to provide “an international resource for the development, promotion and
dissemination of research, policy and information on nurse migration”.
Further calls have been made for an international body to regulate and co-ordinate migration in
order to prevent exploitation and ensure that the rights of health workers are upheld. Several
authors have echoed these recommendations.
States must ensure protection of the rights of health workers who move across borders, including
the right to be free from discrimination in destination countries.
The international community must ensure in addition that developing countries are enabled to
provide an adequate health service to their population, including through providing targeted and
additional development resources to increase the capacity of health systems.
The principle underpinning these efforts should not be to restrict mobility, but to ensure equity in
care and to ensure that all individuals are able to enjoy access to their right to adequate health.
Equitable access to health care for all remains a difficult but essential goal for both countries of
origin and destination.
2.9.5 Professional Regulation and Responsibilities
Professional regulation and responsibilities refer to the systems, laws, standards, and ethical
principles that control and guide professional behavior in different fields.
64 Academic Year 2025/2026
