Kristian Vigenin calls for measures against nurses leaving for abroad

The staffing crisis in healthcare is not an abstract problem, it is a daily reality in Bulgaria too. Doctors and nurses are leaving for better conditions in richer countries. This brain drain makes health care at home vulnerable.

That is why solutions are being sought, such as the EU Crisis Plan for health workers, which was discussed in Brussels on the initiative of the Committee on Public Health and the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs, with the participation of Bulgarian MEP from the Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats Kristian Vigenin. He pointed out that the workforce crisis is a far more severe problem in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe. He recommended that the European Union create conditions for a fairer distribution of health workers across the whole union.

“Nurses and carers, who are predominantly women, remain undervalued and are not paid enough. We in Bulgaria have this problem not only because of the pay, but also because of the working conditions. We have to put more effort into dealing with the long hours and the stress from the shortage of staff,” Vigenin emphasised. He sees a resource for tackling the problem in the area of education and training.

The MEP noted that in the context of the EU multiannual financial framework under discussion, effective investment in healthcare has to be considered. He outlined two approaches: focusing on specific funds for healthcare, or funding all the policies that would have an effect on the healthcare problems we are facing.

Kristian Vigenin pointed out in conclusion: “Long-term investment and stable European instruments are needed, directed at regions with chronic underfunding such as Bulgaria. This is not only a question of healthcare. It is a question of solidarity, equality and the right of every citizen to have access to quality care, in every country and in every region of the Union.”