New Delhi, Aug. 20 -- Public health researchers have called on the government to take steps to recruit and retain nurses to help overcome a significant shortage of such caregivers that could prevent India from achieving its goals of universal healthcare and better health outcomes by 2030.

Nurse migration is a significant challenge for India's health system, according to a research paper by the Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI). Many Indian nurses seeking better prospects migrate to countries such as the US and UK, which together receive over 15,000 foreign nurses annually.

The report highlighted that India has 17.2 nurses per 10,000 people, which is lower than the rate of 47.9 for the Philippines.

The report, co-authored by Pree...