Filenews 4 December 2024
"The inflow of foreign doctors to European countries increased by 17% in 2022, compared to 2019, while the inflow of nurses trained abroad increased by 72%.
In 2023, more than 40% of doctors in Norway, Ireland and Switzerland and over 50% of nurses in Ireland were trained abroad," the report said. at a glance", with the European Commission proposing to Member States concrete measures and policies to help increase the domestic health workforce.
As far as Cyprus is concerned, according to the data published in the report, there is a sufficiency of doctors but there is a shortage of nurses, always in connection with the significant growth in the health sector in recent years and the creation of new additional structures.
"Based on minimum staffing thresholds for universal health coverage (UHC), it is estimated that EU countries experienced a shortage of around 1.2 million doctors, nurses and midwives in 2022," the report said, adding: "The twin demographic challenges of an ageing population, which increases demand for health services, and an ageing health workforce, This increases the need to replace current health workers in retirement, are key drivers of this deficit."
And they are getting scarcer
More than a third of doctors and a quarter of nurses in the EU are over 55 years old and are expected to retire in the coming years.
"At the same time, young people's interest in health careers is declining, with interest in nursing careers declining in more than half of EU countries between 2018 and 2022. Health workforce planning is essential to guide policymaking and ensure that the health workforce is adequately staffed and skilled."
To address severe domestic labour shortages, the report said, "European countries are increasingly relying on the recruitment of foreign-trained health professionals."
After a temporary decrease during the first two years of the pandemic, "the inflow of foreign doctors to European countries increased by 17% in 2022 compared to 2019, while the inflow of nurses trained abroad increased by 72%. In 2023 over 40% of doctors in Norway, Ireland and Switzerland and over 50% of nurses in Ireland were trained abroad."
Addressing the problem - According to the European Commission:
Addressing the health workforce crisis requires a multifaceted approach.
In the short term, improving working conditions and pay is crucial to increase the attractiveness of the profession and retain current health workers.
Increasing education and training opportunities for young doctors and nurses is also crucial to boost supply, although its impact will only be felt in the medium and long term.
"Given the slow average growth rate of just 0.5% per year in the number of new nursing graduates in the EU between 2012 and 2022, attracting enough young people to meet the growing demand is a significant challenge."
