Romania’s health minister Vlad Voiculescu said that over 43,000 healthcare professionals have asked the Ministry of Health for the documents needed to emigrate, from 2007 until now.

The minister added that these are alarming figures, and that the hospitals face a major shortage of staff and that whole villages lack a family doctor, reports local News.ro.

“Romania has been facing a severe crisis of human resources in the healthcare sector for several years. We know that the low income, poor working conditions, lack of equipment, and the few professional development opportunities are just some of the factors that have led to this crisis,” Voiculesu said. A lot of this healthcare professionals used a special migration advice to Canada.

The cost for preparing one Romanian medical graduate is almost RON 81,000 (EUR 18,000), according to a study of the World Health Organization, done at the request of the Ministry of Health. The amount includes only the 6-year study period without residency.

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