Bolojan wants medical graduates to work in Romania for a minimum number of years. “You have an obligation to this country”

Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan declared on Tuesday, at the Parliament, that the graduates of the state medical faculties should stay to work in Romania for a period of at least a few years after graduation.

“Regarding the problems related to rural-urban imbalances, doctors and so on, I will argue that, if you benefit, in our country, from a medical training for the entire duration of your journey – studies done at the budget, residency paid by the Romanian state – you have an obligation towards this country”, declared Bolojan, at the debate with the mayors organized by the General Assembly of the Association of Municipalities in Romania.

“And for at least a few years – two, three, four, five years – you have to work somewhere in Romania. But let's put this into practice”, added the prime minister, quoted by Agerpres.

He drew attention to the fact that there are 7,000 graduates of medical schools in Romania, of which only 1,000 are employed in the public sector. On the other hand, there are many Romanian doctors who end up working in other countries.

“Then we certainly won't have 7,000 graduates of medical schools in Romania, about 4,000 in residency and, after I don't know how many years, about 1,000 employees in the public sector. And the others, unfortunately, are lost and we are in the first, second and third places, in many European countries, in terms of the number of doctors. But for that we have to have the courage to make some decisions that sometimes do not it sounds good and, indeed, let's distribute part of our doctors where they are needed, in the more distant rural areas, in small urban areas and so on”, said Bolojan.