Nerve Endings Firing Away

Half Sigma points to an article in NY Times concerning protests by developing nations over unlimited number of trained nurses being allowed to immigrate to the United States. He rightly points out the United States thinks in pure self-interest and prefers to let intelligent nursing staff who can speak English as opposed to any other group of immigrants. This preference is due to the shortage of qualified nursing staff in the country.

I too find it perfectly justifiable for the United States to lay down policies and preferences for the immigrants it wishes for. Australia and New Zealand have clear cut policies on such immigration and blatantly prefers the higher educated class of people. They even attract divergent professions such as librarians while laying down specific numbers. Now we may lay out the humanitarian argument for expecting United States to take in undesirable immigrants i.e. low-skilled and non-English speaking as well but we certainly cannot react if they choose not to. The illegal immigration problem that is currently plaguing the country has different dimensions altogether; it talks about dealing with the existing population that is residing within the country and modifying ways to deal with future illegal immigrants. We may differ on the ways of dissuading illegal immigration but United States is within its rights to lay down conditions for immigration as long as the majority of the population favors it. Of course, this is possible only after an extended public dialogue where the concerned minorities are equally represented.

Getting back to the nurses’ problem, developing countries are afraid that if qualified medical personnel are leaving for American shores then health systems in those countries suffer. Well, this is more or less the brain drain issue and largely concerns the infrastructural and income disparity problem. In today’s world of globalization, labor mobility is easier and if outsourcing of services benefits developing countries, movement of qualified labor in search of better professional opportunities and standard of life benefits developed nations like the United States. It is a win-win situation.

Of course, to address the declining standards of health care in developing countries, United States and other developed countries can assist by offering aid and infrastructural support but they aren’t bound to restrict the flow of skilled labor because they gain as much as the developing countries would. the income difference between the two countries often lets American dollars flow toward developing countries since most of the families chose to stay back; similar to the Keralaites in the Middle East.

On the other hand, to assuage domestic concerns regarding rising immigration, if enough Americans find it lucrative to invest in a nursing education, they can also avail of opportunities within the country and the United States would have to rely less on immigrant nurses. There is no stopping the Americans for investing in education and hard work that would eventually put them on par with other immigrant labor.