The number of African nurses leaving their jobs to work in private hospitals and research firms within their countries or find better jobs abroad is increasing fast and aggravating the continent's health crisis, the New York Times reports. According to the newspaper, sub-Saharan Africa's low-income countries currently need at least twice as many nurses - around 620,000 - as there are now in order to take care of patients. During a World Health Organization annual assembly in May, African countries said they would seek compensation from developed nations for losing the investment they made on educating the nurses, who leave their countries in search of better opportunities abroad. The issue will be discussed again during the 15th International AIDS Conference.