Italy compensates for the shortage of doctors from abroad

According to the international group Tasnim news agency, the Austrian newspaper Kronen Zeitung wrote in an article: A shortage of doctors has created problems for Italy. Like Austria, this country is desperately looking for doctors. Many doctors in this country prefer to go abroad or work in the private sector. So Italy now wants to bring in more foreign doctors.

It is estimated that there is a shortage of at least 20,000 doctors and 70,000 nurses in the public health system. The reason lies in the current law, which sets limits on the employment of medical staff for economic reasons. In fact, costs for health workers remain at the level of 20 years ago.

In order to deal with the chronic shortage of personnel in the public health system, the government of “Georgia Maloney”, the Prime Minister of this country wants to hire foreign doctors. to make the country easier. The government cabinet plans to reduce the criteria for hiring foreign doctors in the public health system.

Also, the decree that was issued following the corona virus epidemic in 2020 and made it easier to hire doctors from non-EU countries is is to be extended beyond the 2025 deadline. 500 doctors from Cuba were hired by the Calabria region in southern Italy in 2022 to deal with staffing problems in the public health system there.

21,000 foreign doctors in 2019 before the Corona pandemic in the Italian health care system were working and this number increased to 28,000 in 2023. 87% of them are from non-EU countries. In addition, 23,000 foreign nursing staff are employed in Italy, of which 9,456 are from outside the European Union. According to the government’s plans, their number is expected to continue to increase in the next few years.

Anaao Assomed Medical Association stated that public health services should become more attractive to doctors and other health professionals again. Accordingly, many medical professionals go abroad or work in the private sector after graduation. Many leave the public health system at age 50. The reason for that is low salaries, lack of personnel and as a result heavier work shifts. The situation is particularly critical in some medical areas such as emergency departments.

Since 2005, ten percent of doctors who have retired in Italy have not been replaced. The number of young specialists who have entered the health system during this time is not enough to replace all the retired doctors. The result is that the country’s public health system is no longer able to guarantee adequate services everywhere.

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