In 2010, the World Health Organization (WHO) addressed the long-standing problem of the maldistribution of health workers. First, it facilitated intergovernmental negotiations that led to the adoption – by all of WHO’s Member States – of a code of practice for the international recruitment of health person- nel.5 Second, it established a global task force to examine the adverse effects of the intra-country relocation of health workers – mainly from rural to urban areas – which then developed 16