Romania faces risk of medical migration if doctor salaries are reduced

Former Romanian Health Minister Alexandru Rogobete has warned that reducing medical personnel income could trigger a new wave of physician migration to countries such as Germany and France. Rogobete noted that requests for professional certificates required for working abroad have decreased from 2,269 in 2015 to 822 in 2023, a trend he attributes to improved working conditions and higher earnings.

Rogobete criticized a proposed salary law, stating it could cause a “disaster” in the healthcare system. He argued the legislation was designed to reduce deficits and access EU funds via the PNRR, but would negatively impact hospital funding and reduce specific allowances for doctors in critical roles, such as intensive care and emergency services. He estimated that primary doctors in these specialties could see income losses between 2,000 and 4,000 lei.

He emphasized that healthcare reforms should focus on retaining specialists and encouraging the return of Romanian doctors abroad, rather than merely cutting costs. Rogobete cautioned that losing trained medical professionals represents a significant loss of state investment in medical education and poses a direct risk to patient care.