1126 



3,200, and perhaps higher if the 43 percent designating "all other" 

 were broken down and specific countries identified individually. The 

 Philippines was first with 780 immigrant physicians, a figure exceeded 

 only by the 790 in 1969."2 



A considerable number of change-of-status foreign physicians, 890 

 or 28.2 percent, are also included in the total immigrant figure of 3,200 

 for fiscal year 1970. (See Table 10.) Nearly 75 percent of the former 

 nonimmigrant physicians since 1966 had originally entered the United 

 States before that year. Again the largest proportion in the ad- 

 justed status category came from the LDCs : Asia with 679 or 76 per- 

 cent, a slight drop from the 80 percent in 1969 ; Africa with 39 ; and 

 North and Central America, 43, probably mostly from Canada.^" 



In the nonimmigrant category, the figure for foreign physicians to- 

 taled 5,400 in 1970, an increase over the 1969 figure of 4,800. Of these, 

 93 to 96 percent yearly were exchange visitors. (See Tables 12 and 19.) 

 Again the inflow from the LDCs was significant. Asia advanced from 

 2,200 in 1965 to 3,300 in 1968, and then dropped to 2,300 in 1970. In- 

 creases from Africa followed a steady upward line : 84 in 1965, 101 in 

 1967, 126 in 1968, 119 in 1969, and 150 in 1970. South America followed 

 a less consistent pattern but in 1970 showed a considerable increase 

 over 1965 : 182 in 1965, 212 in 1966, 208 in 1967, 370 in 1968, 363 in 1969, 

 and 451 in 1970."* 



Thus, recent data on the medical brain drain reveal that the United 

 States is a prime and increasing recipient of foreign physicians; that 

 the LDCs are increasingly becoming the greatest source of supply ; and 

 that these trends seem to be firmly established. 



TABLE 19.-IMMIGRANTS AND EXCHANGE VISITORS, ALL OCCUPATIONS AND PHYSICIANS BY MAJOR REGION 



OF ORIGIN, FISCAL YEAR 1971 



Total Physicians 



Geographical region 



immigrants: 



Africa 



Asia 



Europe... 



North America. 



South America. 



Oceania 



Total 



Exchange visitors: 



Africa 



Asia. 



Europe 



North America 



South America 



Oceania 



Total 53,393 100.0 4,783 100.0 



Source: Rosemary Stevens, and Joan Vermeulen, "Foreign Trained Physicians and American Medicine," U.S. Depart- 

 ment of Health, Education, and Welfare, Bureau of Health Manpower Education, Division of Manpower Intelligence, June 

 1972. p. 101. (U.S. Department of Justice, Immigration and Naturalization Service.) 



21^ Ibid., p. 3. 

 2»3lbid., pp. 3-4. 

 2" Ibid., pp. 11-12. 



