In Albania, the Center for Economic and Social Studies announced today that the potential emigration of Albanian doctors is around 38.5 percent.
The center presented today at an international conference the first results of a study according to which over 50 percent of the youngest and most qualified doctors want to leave Albania.
The authors of the study claimed for the Voice of America that the reasons for this emigration are not only related to salaries, but also to working conditions and the standard of living of doctors.
In the international conference "Emigration of health workers from the Western Balkans and Eastern and Central Europe", it was emphasized that the entire peninsula and the continent as a whole are involved in the movement of doctors to countries where higher living standards are guaranteed, such as Germany, Britain and Switzerland .
The study for Albania, based on a survey of over 500 doctors across the country, in urban and rural areas, in public and private hospitals and health centers of all levels and territories, revealed that the potential migration of Albanian doctors is high, about 38.5 percent .
The co-author of the study, dr. Ilir Gëdeshi, says for the Voice of America that among young doctors the desire to emigrate is even higher.
"For the age group of doctors and medical workers 24-40 years old, this goes up to 52 percent. Young doctors want to leave Albania, doctors who have completed a specialization or studies abroad, doctors who work in private hospitals, aiming at Germany and the developed countries of Western Europe", says Mr. Gëdeshi.
The driving reasons for these desires to emigrate are those economic requirements, living standards and working conditions, but it is not only the salary that pushes them to another country, the other co-author of the study, Russell King, from the Center for Research, tells VOA on Migration University of Sussex.
"Economic treatment is only part of the problem; other issues that need to be improved are working conditions, career advancement, quality of life. The Albanian doctors who were interviewed for this study gave a set of reasons, where the economy prevails as well as the lack of a long-term future for themselves and their children, which they want to educate in a developed country", says Professor King.
He adds that there are similar reasons for doctors from other countries in the region, such as Bosnia and Kosovo, where the departure of doctors has been observed.
Mr. King emphasized that it is a real challenge for Albania how to stop this flow of doctors fleeing abroad, even more to return them from abroad to the homeland, by carrying out some major reforms, especially in the health sector.
The authors claimed that Germany is very attractive for doctors from Albania and other countries, because there is a regular system and all conditions are created for work with high standards in terms of salaries, quality of life, good education and social services.
Mr. Gëdeshi adds that all the countries of the Balkans are affected by waves of emigration of doctors, but in Albania and North Macedonia this emigration of doctors is high, and the tendency is for this emigration to continue according to the measurements made on potential emigration.
"We noticed that the Albanian authorities are constantly mentioning the issue of emigration of doctors, and are taking various measures. But the main factor here has to do with the increase in spending on health, from 3 percent this figure has been increasing. Also, this issue is related to a reform of the health system, giving young doctors a perspective on their further specialization and opening the way for young people to see their future in Albania", said Mr. Gedesh.
The study proposes to take measures regarding the emigration of doctors, creating conditions within the country, in order to curb this tendency of doctors leaving.
This phenomenon has involved the entire continent, from Albania, Bosnia, Kosovo to Poland, Finland, Norway or Ukraine at war, for which studies were presented at the conference./VOA
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