One in six Croatian medical students wants to emigrate to UK

One in six medical students from Croatia wants to emigrate to the United Kingdom, research published online in the Postgraduate Medical Journal has shown.

The researchers surveyed 202 final year medical students at the Zagreb School of Medicine in Croatia in 2013.1 They found that 53% (106) of the students wanted to travel abroad. Of these students 26% (52) wanted to go abroad for specialty training, and 27% (54) wanted to go for subspecialty training. Germany was the most popular destination, as 28% (34) of those wishing to go abroad cited it as their destination of choice. A further 16% (19) wanted to travel to the UK, and the same proportion wanted to go to the United States.

The researchers said, “The widespread knowledge of English language among Croatian students could be the reason why English speaking countries are at the top of the list.” They added that Germany could be a popular destination for students because of “the intense activity of German and Scandinavian recruitment agencies in Croatia.”

Most students (94%) thought that foreign countries had better opportunities for financial success, the researchers said. “Approximately 80% agreed that there are greater opportunities for research and careers, and better quality of clinical training and education during residency training,” they noted.

Previous research has found that shortages of doctors across Europe may be a result of doctors moving to the UK in search of better salaries and working conditions.2 The researchers in Zagreb said that Croatia needed 3280 more doctors, “an increase of 18% of the current number, to reach the European average.”

They said they hoped that their findings would be “an early warning for potential adverse trend(s) in the migration of health professionals with the possible serious consequences on the functioning of the Croatian healthcare system at all levels.”