Shortage of 13,000 doctors in Romanian hospitals

Romanian hospitals currently lack no less than 13,000 physicians, as a result of the fact that doctors leave to work abroad. In these conditions, positions in cardiology, ENT or Intensive Care remain vacant in many cities, whereas in some counties the deficit is approaching 50%.

An X-ray of the Health System in Romania shows that there is no county without vacancies for physicians. Some are open to contest for a third time, in other places the medical staff covers emergency shifts by working longer shifts.

“It is haemorrhage of physicians, apart from anything else, we’ll have a huge problem with the doctors exodus. There are cities where entire medical specialties lack, simply because there are no doctors,” Health Minister Vlad Voiculescu says.

In 2015, in Cluj were registered 211 applications for the current professional certificate, needed to practice the medical profession outside Romania’s borders.

“We’ve reached the abnormal situation that a physician makes 10-11 emergency shifts per month, some can’t cope anymore. We’ve reached slavery in terms of emergency shifts,” the head of ‘Solidaritatea’ Trade Union Cluj, Radu Vasile, said.