Cheap Labor from Poor Nations
E. FULLER TORREY M.D.1, and
ROBERT L. TAYLOR M.D.2
1 Special Assistant to the Director for International Affairs, National Institute of Mental Health, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, Md. 20852
2 Mental Health Program Chief with the Department of Health Services, San Rafael, Calif.
In the authors' opinion, one of the most serious problems facing American psychiatry is the importation of large numbers of foreign medical graduates to staff the country's mental hospitals. This paper reviews the magnitude of the problem, the utilization of these doctors as "cheap labor," the quality of care provided, and the effects of the "brain drain" on the countries of origin. It discusses possible roots of the problem and suggests some solutions.
