Bandaid transnationalism: remittance practices of emigrant Zimbabwean medical doctors

Despite the well-documented negative impacts of the ‘brain drain’ of medical doctors from Africa, there is an argument that their departure is not an absolute loss and that transnationally oriented migrants (or diasporas) can act as development agents in their home countries. Financial remittances, in particular, are said to have significant transformative development potential. This paper assesses the remitting patterns of emigrant Zimbabwean medical doctors and examines the potential impacts of the remittances which they send on both the local and national levels. We argue in this paper that the remittances which are being sent by the medical doctors are only cushioning their close family members against the harsh economic conditions in the country, a practice which we termed ‘bandaid transnationalism’. The research results question the nature of development resulting from bandaid transnationalism. Furthermore, we argue that social remittances from the emigrant medical doctors can achieve greater social development impact than the monetary and material remittances which they send. Even though both social and monetary remittances can benefit Zimbabwe’s economy, a more hopeful solution is one that retains medical doctors in the country and attracts emigrant doctors back home to participate in rebuilding health institutions in a democratic Zimbabwe.