„The medical workforce crisis is not a warning about the future. It is a daily reality for thousands of Europeans who have no access to a doctor at all.“ This was stated by the Bulgarian MEP from the Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament Kristian Vigenin, placing an emphasis on the particularly severe situation in rural, remote and depopulating areas. He made his address during the plenary debate in Strasbourg on the European plan for tackling the medical workforce crisis and on the resilience of health systems.

Vigenin also drew attention to the workload on the medical specialists themselves, many of whom are systematically forced to work overtime because of the staff shortage. „For countries such as Bulgaria the problem is even sharper. We invest in training doctors and nurses, and then many of them leave for member states that offer higher pay“, he pointed out.

In Vigenin’s view the answer cannot stop at noting the shortage. Europe-wide solutions are needed for better working conditions, together with concrete incentives for medical specialists to work where they are needed most. Among the possible measures he named scholarships, support for specialisation, housing and opportunities for professional development, as well as the use of telemedicine as an additional way of improving access to healthcare.

„Healthcare is a fundamental human right that we must guarantee for every European“, Kristian Vigenin stressed.