Measures benefitting teaching and healthcare staff
The Parliament of Romania has adopted new measures targeting healthcare and teaching staff.
Roxana Vasile, 18.10.2017, 13:54
After its EU accession in 2007, Romanias healthcare staff, like many other categories, were given the green light to leave the country, thanks to the right to free movement in the EU. Be they physicians or nurses, they all chose to go to Western Europes richer countries such as France, Germany and Great Britain, where their professional status was recognized and respected.
Expenses with the medical system per capita vary a lot among EU member states, so it was only natural for healthcare staff to choose those countries that channel more money to the system. Thus, between 2009 and 2015, Romania lost half of its physicians. More than 4,000 Romanian doctors are working in France and almost the same number in Germany. Adding to them are over 3,000 working in Great Britain, about 600 working in Belgium and as many as 800 working in Italy and Spain.
Romanias teaching staff is another professional category with low salaries, which makes teaching an unattractive job for many young people, including those who have a calling for this profession and are very proficient. Romanias education system in general has been faced with an acute personnel shortage, as the teachers and prospective teachers are leaving the country or are reconverting, choosing to work in the private sector where they get better paid. In recent years, the political parties that have been successively in power have tried, and failed, to fix the problem: they promised pay rises and professional and logistic facilities.
This week the Romanian Senate has passed an amendment to a law under which doctors and teachers will be allowed, even after turning 35, to file applications for having a house built by the National Housing Agency subordinated to the Ministry for Regional Development, Public Administration and European Funds. The Liberal Senator Marcel Vela explains:
Marcel Vela: “The Romanian state is investing huge amounts of money in the education and training of young medical students, and if Parliament does not help them to find a job in their sector more easily, these resident doctors are tempted to go abroad to find professional fulfilment.
Ecaterina Andronescu, a former education minister, currently a Social Democrat Senator, has also pleaded the cause of the teaching staff:
Ecaterina Andronescu: “I dare ask you to agree with our proposal to extend the amendment to the law under discussion, by also including the teaching staff alongside resident and specialist physicians. Teachers are a very important category in all communities.
The amendment has been passed with unanimity of votes and forwarded to the Chamber of Deputies, which is the decision-making body on this matter.
(translated by: Lacramioara Simion)
