From a national point of view, it is a problem. Government invests a lot of money to train these experts with the expectation that they will help to improve health services in the country. Therefore their departure is a huge loss to the country not only in terms of the their services but also in terms of the public resources that were used to train them.

For the individual and his immediate relatives, it is a solution in the sense that he will make a lot of money in a short time while working abroad. He can manage to foot all the bills for his family and immediate relatives. He can also do some meaningful investments back home, a thing which he could only dream about while working in Malawi.

Do you think it is the government's job to provide medical services to its people? The U.S. just had a big debate about this and a lot of people there don't want the government involved. My guess is that the majority of Malawians don't care who is giving the medical services as long as they are provided but from a policy point of view some people should be thinking about how (and who) can most economically and effectively do the job.