Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, which countries her Department has supported to train, recruit and retain health workers since May 2010.

The UK supports low-income countries to develop robust healthcare systems, including country efforts to build and maintain health worker capacity through training new health workers, building skills in existing health workers, and supporting government planning. The UK has provided bilateral health aid to over 30 countries and a number of regional programmes since May 2010, full details of which can be found at www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-international-development/about/statistics.

The UK has a number of targeted programmes that address critical health worker issues in Ethiopia, Pakistan, Nigeria, Zambia, Malawi, Sierra Leone, India, South Africa and Nepal. The UK also funds the Health Partnership Scheme (HPS) that supports partnerships between UK and developing country health institutions to strengthen health workforce capacity. The HPS supports activities in 26 countries in Africa and Asia.