Between September 2012 and October 2013, the IOM commissioned three separate mapping studies of Sierra Leonean diaspora health professionals in United Kingdom, the United States and Canada, and Germany, respectively. The United Kingdom and the United States are the two most prominent destination choices for Sub-Saharan African health professionals, and moreover share the largest pools of Sierra Leonean health-care professionals in diaspora. In Canada and Germany there was a considerably smaller pool to draw from.

The survey results highlighted key sociodemographic characteristics of Sierra Leonean diaspora health-care professionals in the relevant countries, identifying their specializations, educational and training histories. They captured health professionals’ migratory trends, for example, length of stay in their country of residence and identified their main geographical locations within those countries. The surveys showed how diaspora health professionals currently engage with their country of origin, and assessed their willingness to contribute to Sierra Leone’s health-care system. Lastly they provided insights into health professionals’ perceived challenges surrounding their medical interventions in their home country and identified some of the issues which disincentive health professionals from returning, whether on a temporarily or permanent basis.