Subject: Understaffing of healthcare professionals in EU public health systems
The COVID-19 pandemic exposed critical challenges within Europe’s health workforce, such as inadequate planning, poor working conditions, job insecurity, mental health strain, gender inequalities and burnout. Workforce mobility, while a success for the EU, has also heightened disparities, as professionals migrate from less competitive Member States and rural areas to urban centres or other countries offering better conditions. This trend undermines equitable access to healthcare and violates basic patient rights.
Recent data from Eurostat and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development indicate that the EU average has approximately 3.8–4.0 doctors and 8.8 nurses per 1 000 inhabitants. However, these figures mask a deeper problem: unequal distribution. Rural regions face significant shortages as doctors and nurses leave for better salaries and working conditions in cities or abroad. This creates glaring inequalities in healthcare access, disproportionately impacting vulnerable populations and exacerbating regional disparities.
1. Should Member States receive guidance through the EU’s European Semester process to establish higher minimum staffing levels per patient in public healthcare?
2. What measures can the Commission adopt to support less competitive states in addressing brain drain, improving salaries, working conditions, career opportunities, education, training and work-life balance to ensure equitable healthcare access across the EU?
Submitted: 12.12.2024
Answer given by Mr Várhelyi on behalf of the European Commission
(24 February 2025)
Health workforce shortages constitute an increasing challenge across the EU. According to Article 168(7) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU (1), Member States are responsible for the organisation and delivery of health services and medical care, which includes ensuring sufficient health workforce.
The Health at a Glance report (2) estimates a shortage of 1.2 million doctors, nurses and midwives in the EU in 2022. The report provides examples of practices to boost recruitment and retention.
The recent Joint Research Centre report (3) projects the supply and demand for health workforce according to various ageing scenarios of the EU population and of the health workforce. Both reports show disparities and different needs between Member States.
The Commission works through the European Semester to provide country-specific policy advice and promote health systems reforms, including in health workforce.
It provides also support on planning and forecasting (4), skills development, including under the large-scale skills partnership established under BeWell (5), addressing shortages of nurses (6), survey and guidance on mental health of health workers (7).
The Cohesion Policy supports Member States and regions’ efforts to reduce territorial disparities in access to quality healthcare. Allocated investments of EUR 7.4 billion (8) include digitalisation of the healthcare, developing integrated IT systems, telehealth, etc.
1 ∙ ⸱ http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:12012E/TXT&from=en
2 ∙ ⸱ The Health at a Glance Europe 2024 Report: 1e23af78-d146-4c84-be77-690fc6044655_en
3 ∙ ⸱ Healthcare workforce: new model projects EU needs up to 2071 https://joint-research-centre.ec.europa.eu/jrc-news-and-updates/healthcare-workforce-new-
model-projects-eu-needs-2071-2024-12-06_en 4 ∙ ⸱
EU4Health Programme funded Joint Action Heroes: https://www.agenas.gov.it/ricerca-e-sviluppo/ricerca-internazionale/personale-sanitario-ri/heroes-health- workforce-to-meet-health-challenges 5 ∙ ⸱
Erasmus+ programme funded action BeWell: https://bewell-project.eu/ and EU4Health funded training action: https://health.ec.europa.eu/publications/2022- eu4health-work-programme_en; AMR EDUCare: https://www.amreducare.eu/; e-Hospital4Future: https://eh4future.eu/; GESEA Educational Programme https://gesea.eu/; DigiCanTrain: https://digicantrain.turkuamk.fi/contact-us/; DDS-MAP: https://ddsmap.easpd.eu/; TRANSiTION https://ehma.org/projects/transition/; EHMA: https://hpass.healthworkforce.eu/ 6 ∙ ⸱ EU4Health programme: https://health.ec.europa.eu/publications/2024-eu4health-work-programme_en 7 ∙ ⸱ A comprehensive approach to mental health https://commission.europa.eu/strategy-and-policy/priorities-2019-2024/promoting-our-european-way- life/european-health-union/comprehensive-approach-mental-health_en 8 ∙ ⸱ Data extracted: 06/01/2025 (including Interreg).
| | ) The communication on Harnessing Talent in European Regions (9) established a working group for European regions to exchange good practices on retaining talent in the health sector.
Several resources, such as good practices and academic articles, are also available on the knowledge repository of the Harnessing Talent Platform (10).
9 ∙ ⸱ https://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/whats-new/newsroom/17-01-2023-harnessing-talent-in-europe-a-new-boost-for-eu-regions_en
10 ∙ ⸱ https://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/policy/communities-and-networks/harnessing-talent-platform/knowledge-repository_en