Romania gripped by shortage of physicians
Romania is faced with a shortage of thousands of physicians, medical residents and nurses
Roxana Vasile, 25.03.2024, 13:50
Romania faces a shortage of thousands of physicians, medical residents and nurses, the Health Ministry says. Over 8,600 vacancies are reported in state hospitals for physicians alone. Large cities, including Bucharest, are equally struggling, although the most severe shortages are reported in rural areas – over 300 villages lack a family physician, while over half of settlements don’t have enough healthcare professionals. In certain villages, shortages were partly solved by bringing in physicians from retirement or by setting up auxiliary care units employing medical professionals tenured elsewhere. As regards medical residents, Health Ministry data points to some 1,600 vacancies. The biggest deficit is reported in the nursing sector, with over 14,500 vacancies at national level, regardless of training. Most of these are reported in hospitals, while the rest in emergency services and wards.
How did it come to this, considering salaries in the health sector have increased significantly, by some 80% starting 2018? Despite the pay rise, physicians continue to leave the country seeking more appealing work conditions. In 2023, over 800 physicians applied for the Healthcare Professional Certificate in order to seek employment abroad. In the last year, medical staff shortages have worsened. In May 2023, the Government froze vacancy-filling contests to cut public spending, requiring each specific sector to submit memoranda for all new hires. Following certain protest actions, the Government early this year decided to open to public contest 7,600 vacancies in the health and social welfare sector. However, the procedure typically takes two months, from the moment the announcement is made public to the start of the employment contract.
Due to the shortage of physicians and nurses, current employees are overworked, while patients often don’t get the proper care they deserve, hospital managers say. The phenomenon is all the more worrisome as employees are often recalled from paid leave to ensure regular shifts. A Romanian Court of Auditors report examining the human resources management and health infrastructure development over 2014-2021 shows that Romania ranks second to last at EU level in terms of physicians employed nationwide, with a little over 300 physicians per 100 thousand inhabitants. (VP)
