[REVISION HISTORY]

European doctor shortage and Romanian systemic risks

Updated 16 times since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

What changed

2026-10-22 07:38 UTC → 2026-10-27 07:37 UTC · added ~~removed~~

Across Europe, chronic shortages of physicians and trainees continue to strain health systems. In Slovenia, rain‑soaked queues at Cerkno and Sežana health centres in May highlighted the impact of retiring family doctors and gynecologists. Austria’s Vorarlberg region reported a critical lack of “basis year” training slots, while the Netherlands and Belgium face bottlenecks in vocational internships. In Romania, the crisis is marked by uneven resource distribution and a persistent brain drain. To address staffing shortages, the government has unblocked over 6,800 positions, focusing on nursing, medical assistants, and auxiliary personnel. Recent recruitment drives have been widespread: Spitalul Clinic Județean de Urgență Bihor is seeking specialists in fields ranging from neurosurgery to cardiology; Spitalul Județean Sf. Apostol Andrei in Constanța is hiring 30 nurses; and Iași’s “Sf. Spiridon” with 6,452 designated for hospital ~~is opening 90~~ units. These roles primarily target nursing ~~positions. In Baia Mare, the Dr. Constantin Opriș County Emergency Hospital was recently granted clinical status~~ and ~~secured over 100 million lei for modernization.~~ auxiliary staff, including 2,593 medical assistants and 2,567 auxiliary personnel, alongside 1,433 doctors. Recruitment efforts ~~have continued through late 2026,~~ remain widespread, with hospitals across various regions announcing new competitions. In Craiova, the Neuropsychiatric Clinical Hospital is seeking a psychiatry specialist, while Constanța’s Sfântul Apostol Andrei County Emergency Clinical Hospital is recruiting for cardiovascular surgery and intensive care. In in Slatina, Târgu ~~Jiu~~ Jiu, Pitești, and ~~Zalău, hospitals are~~ Comănești actively seeking ~~neurosurgeons, neurologists, and department heads in specialties such as anesthesia and pediatrics. In the Vaslui region, vacancies span pathology, radiology,~~ specialists and ~~nursing. Additionally, Baia Mare’s Dr. Constantin Opriș hospital is seeking radiology technicians~~ caregivers. Systemic reforms and ~~medical assistants, while Constanța’s County Emergency Clinical Hospital is recruiting 28 general medical assistants~~ tensions are also emerging. The Ministry of Health has introduced unified national exams for ~~departments including neonatology~~ over 3,900 medical specialists to ensure “fair, transparent, and ~~cardiology.~~ unitary evaluation.” However, the Multidisciplinary Society of Resident Doctors (SMMR) has contested these results, citing discrepancies between exam questions and grading scales. To improve efficiency, the Ministry has also drafted instructions to decentralize hospital staffing approvals, allowing local management to update personnel lists without prior ministerial orders. Despite these efforts, systemic risks ~~remain. Former~~ persist. Health Minister Alexandru Rogobete ~~warned that~~ has proposed ~~salary laws could trigger a “disaster,” causing a~~ new ~~wave of migration~~ measures to ~~Germany and France~~ fire doctors who violate public duties by ~~reducing~~ working in private practices during hospital hours. He also noted that discussions regarding a new salary law will resume following strikes driven by concerns over potential income ~~for critical roles like intensive care.~~ reductions.

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