European views about accession
BMJ 2004; 328 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/sbmj.0404159 (Published 01 April 2004) Cite this as: BMJ 2004;328:0404159
- Ioana Vlad, junior doctor1
- 1Iasi, Romania
The United Kingdom is gearing up for an “invasion” of doctors from the accession states (Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, the Slovak Republic, and Slovenia) come 1 May 2004,1 but what are the views from the rest of Europe? Differences in training, numbers, pay, and working conditions are stacked against the accession states, and member states might not want their new colleagues to contribute to their workforce.
Merte Bosch, delegate to the European Union of General Practitioners from the Hartmannbund (the German medical association) sets the scene, “It is not absolutely clear yet to what date salaried doctors from countries that are to join the EU [European Union] will enjoy the free movement following the EU directives. We suppose that for doctors who want to open a practice this will be possible with the entry into the EU of their country.”
Differences in numbers
The current member states of the European Union already differ in the number of practising doctors for every 1000 inhabitants and also the demand for doctors.
In Greece, for example, between 1990 and 2000 there were an average of 3.94 practising doctors for each 1000 inhabitants. In Belgium in 2002 there were 3.2 active registered physicians for each 1000 inhabitants. There were 3.88 registered doctors (including dentists but excluding training doctors) for every 1000 inhabitants in Austria, 3.1 in Malta, and 3.46 in Lithuania.
“We have a shortage in training posts so that students after having …
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