Health professional migration in and from Nepal: popular and growing routes

This chapter examines the issue of health worker migration from Nepal, exploring the most common migration strategies and routes that health workers consider to travel from Nepal to the wider global healthcare labour market. The chapter suggests that the longer and costlier routes of migration more accessible and pragmatic, and therefore serve their purpose in the lives of migrants. The chapter details how and when preparation for migration begins for Nepali doctors and nurses, including the process of obtaining professional qualifications and then considering their prime destinations before finally making the move. The Chapter further highlights how the international migration of health professionals in Nepal is a complex and carefully planned series of actions and a family business, and how, for many low-income households in Nepal, it is an important livelihood strategy and a necessity.