Romania faces a significant shortage of health workers, a problem exacerbated by the continued migration of doctors and nurses to Western European countries.
Romania, first-hand source of doctors and nurses – Photo Archive
Our country has lost tens of thousands of doctors in recent years. Between 2014-2020, over 15,000 doctors left Romania and over 50,000 nurses. The total number of those who have left the country is likely to be even higher. Thus, Romania is among the first countries that train doctors for the international market.
Moreover, the shortage of health workers is a problem that several countries in Europe have, and some have taken measures to prevent young doctors from emigrating.
For example, Albania forces Albanian medical school graduates to work for three years in the country before they can leave – or pay full tuition fees, according to Euronews. That’s because almost 3,500 doctors have left this country in the last 10 years, according to the Federation of Albanian Doctors in Europe.
7,430 doctors left Romania in the last seven years alone, from 2016 to 2023, according to data from the College of Doctors.
The domino effect
“Growing the workforce requires long-term and expensive investment, while recruiting overseas-trained professionals offers a faster solution“, emphasized Isilda Mara, researcher on labor and migration issues at the Institute for International Economic Studies in Vienna.
Doctors and nurses usually leave Eastern and Southern Europe for the West and North of the continent.
Romania, Spain and France are the most common sources of nurses going abroad, while Germany, Romania and Italy are among the countries with the most doctors who practice abroad.
On the other hand, Ireland and Switzerland are the countries most dependent on both foreign-trained doctors and nurses.
“The mobility of medical staff has created a domino effect. German doctors, for example, move to Switzerland or Austria, and their positions are often filled by doctors from neighboring (European Union) countries. In turn, these neighboring countries replace their doctors with professionals from non-EU countries, and the cycle continues“, explained Isilda Mara.
The United States is the most popular destination for healthcare workers, attracting 45% of all foreign-born nurses, with Germany (15%) and the United Kingdom (11%) coming in second and third.
Paul de Raeve, general secretary of the European Federation of Nursing Associations, said that all EU countries are recruiting nursing staff from outside. These workers are essential to healthcare systems in crisis; without immigrants, Germany, for example, could experience a health system collapse, according to the German Expert Council on Integration and Migration.
The exodus of medical cards
Economists and health experts are concerned about the exodus of medical professionals from poor regions to rich countries, which offer them better wages and conditions. This migration leads to lost investment in health personnel training and reduced resources in countries of origin. As a result, a vicious cycle is created in which the number of doctors decreases, which causes limited access to care.
Services are of poorer quality, waiting times are longer and overall needs remain unmet, according to Milena Šantrić Milićević, a professor at the University of Belgrade and an advisor on health system capacity, workforce and equity issues.
“The entire resilience, the health potential of the population decreases“, said Šantrić Milićević.
Data from the Romanian College of Physicians show that only in 2022 and 2023 almost 2,000 doctors obtained the professional certificate on the basis of which they can practice abroad, specifically 1049 doctors in 2022 and 822 doctors in 2023. A recent study, carried out by the Romanian College of Physicians Romania shows that 57% of young doctors under 35 intend to emigrate.
