Members of parliament from Africa Countries have defeated a proposal by the European Union to make it a universal right under the international treaties for medical personal from African states to work in European counties.
Instead, the MPs supported a move for countries to bond their workers especially those trained by the state as a remedy against brain drain.
The Members of Parliament including those from Uganda led by Deputy Speaker Jacob Oulanyah are currently in Haiti attending the African Caribbean, Pacific and European Union Parliamentary Assembly.
The 48th African Caribbean, Pacific, and European Union parliamentary assembly is currently underway in Haiti’s Capital, Port- Au- Prince.
The assembly’s main objective is to find remedies for the social, political and economic challenges facing the 79 members states.
One of the major issues the current assembly had to handle was a proposal by MPs of the European Union to make it a universal right under international treaties for medical workers from members states to work freely in Europe.
MPs, especially those from Africa, vehemently opposed this move, on the grounds that such a proposal would worsen the brain drain of trained medical workers from their countries.
In Uganda statistics from the ministry of health show that about 250 medical workers leave the country annually.
Members further recommended a bond to be imposed on health workers, especially those trained by their respective governments, to work for the state for a particular period before they can be allowed to seek private employment.
Meanwhile, the Deputy Speaker of Parliament Jacob Oulanyah, has called for the restructuring of the Cotonou agreement which brought together ACP-EU member states, if there resolutions are to be implemented by members states.
Currently, their resolutions are not binding.