The crisis in healthcare personnel is not an abstract problem - it is an everyday reality in Bulgaria as well. Doctors and nurses are leaving for better conditions in richer countries. This “brain drain“ makes healthcare in our country vulnerable.
That is why solutions are being sought, such as the EU Crisis Plan for Healthcare Workers, which was discussed in Brussels at the initiative of the Committee on Public Health and the Committee on Employment and Social Policy, with the participation of the Bulgarian MEP from the Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats, Christian Vigenin. He pointed out that the workforce crisis is a much more serious problem in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe. He recommended that the EU create conditions for a fairer distribution of healthcare workers across the EU.
“Nurses and caregivers, who are predominantly women, remain undervalued and underpaid. We, in Bulgaria, have this problem not only because of salaries, but also because of working conditions. We need to put more effort into addressing long hours and stress from staff shortages“, emphasized Vigenin. He sees a resource for addressing the problem in the field of education and training.
The MEP noted that in the context of the EU's multiannual financial framework under consideration, effective investments in healthcare should be considered. He outlined two approaches: focusing on specific health funds or financing all policies that would have an effect on the health problems we face.
Kristian Vigenin concluded: “Long-term investments and stable European instruments are needed, targeting chronically underfunded regions like Bulgaria. This is not just a matter of health. This is a matter 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.“https://www.socialistsanddemocrats.eu/
For contact with the Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the EP: https://www.socialistsanddemocrats.eu/
