My take:
- the real problem is that HCWs have been fucked worldwide, as a result of policies that might seem only national but are actually a consequence of managers and politicians copying each other.
- core to those policies has been a drive to run healthcare companies as tech companies, either by privatizing them outright, or by getting managers with that cultural mindset (the latter is specially true of the UK and Ireland). As a consequence of this they usually start to "streamline" processes, remove 'redundant' hcw posts to cut costs (which dont actually come down cause number of managers keeps growing)
- on a more global level, very often you hear politicians talk about solving hcw shortages by increasing training posts. Two big problems with this: first (at best) the results will take years to be seen. Second: a more fundamental problem is that healthcare professions (probably technical professions in general) have become very unattractive (and the longer the less attractive) because there's little substantial payoff for the effort.
- restricting hcw movement (either foreigners or the often touted solution by populist pundits of forcing your own to do mandatory service) makes it even less attractive, pretty much ignores how healthcare systems work (you *do* want people moving around)
- just paying more money is not an immediate solution but its a start. Back home you often hear doctors in labor protests say "its not about the money". They are honest FWIW but they are also wrong: they might want respect and better working conditions rather than more money, but they won't get either of the former without the latter. The reason is because low wages has created the illusion in management that specialist physicians are as replaceable as Fast Food clerks (this illusion has not helped management to do a good job either)