Three years of mandatory work in Estonian healthcare
A significant part of the shortage of doctors is due to the fact that they go abroad to work after graduating. The shortage of nurses, on the other hand, is caused by the fact that they move to the private sector, for example, to aesthetic medicine. If a requirement were established for nurses and doctors to work, for example, three years in the healthcare sector in Estonia after graduation— in hospitals or family health centers—the workforce problem would decrease. A similar tactic is already being used in the Internal Security Academy for training police officers, who have to work in the police force for three years after graduation.
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7 thoughts about the healthcare sector’s main problems
- Health concerns are not solved by the healthcare sector alone in the big picture, but rather by the economic success of society and the understanding at all levels of society that investing in health is worthwhile.
- Considering the current state of healthcare in Estonia, the idea of a mega-hospital …
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Emergency services for a fee
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Additional suggestions
Over my dead body. Instead of enforcing compulsory retention, one should delve into the reasons why people are permanently leaving for abroad (hint: working conditions and salary) and address these issues. There’s nothing wrong with temporarily going abroad for further education and bringing the experience back to Estonia; such behavior is even commendable—why not do it right after graduating from university?
Has anyone investigated why young people go to Finland after graduating from university? Young people need to start their lives after a long period of study; they need to start earning money to create a family and prove themselves. We constantly complain about the shortage of doctors, but in reality, we do not have enough jobs. Healthcare has been maximally optimized. If the Estonian medical system cannot offer jobs to young people, there is no other option. I support Pisara’s idea of improving healthcare in rural areas—salary, working conditions, and a suitable living environment would encourage moving to the countryside.
Instead of mandatory work, we could find incentive-based methods to attract people to healthcare. The number of doctors going abroad to work is still marginal, but fewer and fewer students want to study to become doctors. Perhaps it’s no longer as popular to study a field where education takes a long time, the responsibility is great, and the salary is quite low considering all this. It is unfair that students in other fields do not face such restrictions—this could further reduce the popularity of medical studies. Instead, I would suggest planning a forward-looking healthcare system—how, where, and what kinds of specialists are needed, and how to do this in the smartest way given our resources.
Speaking of medical care in rural areas, this could be effectively addressed with a salary coefficient—why should a young doctor even consider going to Finland if they can earn significantly more in their own rural area in Estonia than in the cities?