Journal of Economics and Behavioral Studies (ISSN: 2220-6140) Vol. 9, No. 4, pp. 62-72, August 2017 62 Effects of Brain Drain on the South African Health Sector; Analysis of the Dynamics of its Push Factors Victor H. Mlambo, * Toyin Cotties Adetiba University of Zululand, KwaDlangezwa, South Africa halavico@yahoo.com, * toluwacotties_333@hotmail.co.za Abstract: While there has been a plethora of studies that addresses migration in Africa, many have yet to successfully unpack the effects of brain drain on the South African health sector. Using textual analysis of the available literature relevant to the topic under consideration; this work seeks to identify the major structural and socio-economic push factors that drive the migration of health professionals in South Africa, relying on Revestain’s laws of migration and Lee’s push/pull theory of migration. The study also looks at explaining other factors that contribute to the migration of health professionals in South Africa. We argue that for South Africa to retain health professionals, the government needs to increase the training of health workers, improve their working conditions and security, upgrade infrastructure and ensure availability of resources as well as develop a more open immigration policy prioritizing skilled immigration. Keywords: Immigration, Brain drain, South Africa, Socio-economic Development 1. Introduction The effective functioning of any health sector around the world, particularly in South Africa, is highly dependent on the availability of skilled health professionals (World Health Organization, 2014). South Africa is currently at the verge of losing its best health professionals; hence, its efforts at reducing the outflow of its skilled health professionals which may have a debilitating effect on its socio-economic development. Finding ways to reduce the outflow health professionals would greatly help South Africa achieve its present and future developmental objectives. For years, the South African health sector has fallen victim to the brain drain phenomena. Thousands of highly skilled health professionals (nurses, doctors and other paramedical professionals) have left the country in search of better opportunities abroad, which has negatively impacted the efficient functioning of the heath sector, thus reducing the overall quality of medical care offered by South African health institutions (Makoni, 2009; Brandsouthafrica, 2002). Whilst one may claim that globalization has somewhat led to the increase in the migration of health workers in South Africa, it has however made it easier for skills mobility (Czaika & de Haas, 2014). Globalization has undoubtedly offered freedom for health workers to offer their services beyond South African borders. For Scheffler et al. (2008), the global shortage of nurses, midwives and doctors has reached a staggering 4.3 million due to opportunities for health workers to work abroad resulting to a complex migration pattern characterised by the outflow of health workers from developing countries to developed countries. South Africa has undoubtedly experienced a net outflow of health workers. Makoni (2009) asserts that as a result of globalization, the borders and immigration control centres of developed countries have been relaxed to attract highly skilled professionals such as nurses, doctors, engineers, teachers etc. hence, the increase in the migration of health workers. It is on record that Canada has the most liberal immigration system in the world thus enabling inflow of skilled professionals to the country. In South Africa, many health professionals have left for better opportunities abroad which is further fuelled by globalization (Makhubu, 2016).Globalization has resulted in the increased demand for health workers. Unless developing countries invest in their health sector, they will continue to feel the impact of migration of their health workers. For South Africa, it is absolutely clear that this calls for direct intervention from both government and the civil society to ensure that health workers stay in the country, otherwise the South African health sector is at risk of total collapse (Aluttis et al., 2014). One may also reason that as much as globalization has resulted in the easy movement of labour, in the case of South Africa, most of the push factors driving brain drain are a combination of structural and socio-economic dynamics (Chimanikire, 2005, Mahadea & Simson, 2010). Apart from globalization, most of the push factors responsible for brain drain of health professionals from South Africa are located internally. It seems that the South African Government has not adequately or urgently addressed these push factors thus undermining the country’s health sector. With slow economic growth and uncertainty in the country’s