About 1,028 doctors have emigrated from the country and make up 22% of the stock of doctors in Albania of 4,745 doctors, evidenced the recent study by professors Ilir Gëdëshi, Russell King and Amarildo Çeka, according to which those who emigrate are the elite of medical students. 

The phenomenon of departures reached high proportions in the last decade. About 62% of medical graduates in 2018-2022 prepare to leave. 

This academic year, in the fields of study related to health, there are 22,834 students who make up 18% of the total number of students. 

The number of students in health branches is higher than the needs of the internal market, but this trend heralds the trends of emigration of professionals in the future, exposing our country to the high costs of emigration of human capital. 

Emigration is a widespread phenomenon in the Albanian population, in all age groups, educational levels and places of residence, but in some vital professions, such as medicine, departures are at alarming levels. 

Doctors and teachers are the foundation of public services in any country. The mass exodus of doctors, especially the young elites, heralds weakness in the health service in a population that is aging rapidly and the burden of disease is increasing. 

An in-depth study by experts Ilir Gëdeshi (Center for Economic and Social Studies), Russell King (Department of Geography, University of Sussex) and Amarildo Çeka (School of Population and Public Health, British Columbia) showed that in 2020, within the country there were a total of 4745 doctors, while abroad there were 1028 of them. 

As can be seen, doctors who are employed abroad are as much as 22% of those in the country. The branch of medicine in the country is the most expensive in terms of costs and time required for education. The formation of a specialist doctor requires 6 years of general studies and specializations lasting up to four years. 

In 2021, the budget of the Faculty of Medicine was about 1.4 billion ALL, or about 13 million euros. The direct expenses from the budget, without counting the expenses of the families, to educate a generation of general medicine are about 80 million euros, but the costs are incalculable due to their absence in the Albanian labor market. 

Surveys of recent years show a great desire to emigrate among young people, but the phenomenon is high in the health fields, with the aim of leaving. 

The latest official data show that the number of students in higher education has decreased by about 13% from 2019 to 2023, but there is an increase in the branches where you can find work in emigration. 

The total number of students decreased by 17,700 since 2019 with a decrease of 12.7%, but on the other hand, more young people chose the branches in the field of "Health and well-being". 

This academic year, there are 22,834 students in the fields of study related to health, which constitute 18% of the total number of students. The number of students majoring in health is higher than the needs of the domestic market, but this trend heralds the trends of emigration of professionals in the future. 

Sources from the Faculty of Nursing show that the majority of students, in the first year, enroll in German language classes, in order that when they have finished their studies, they will have the language skills to be employed in the German market. 

Of all the fields of study, the number of students in the last four years increased only in the fields of engineering and health, while in some fields there is a sharp decrease in students. 

The latest study shows that emigration is attracting the elite of medical students. “We were 25 students in my medical class. 

None of the best students are in Albania. I'm in the US, one in Sweden, most are in Germany. Many of the colleagues, once excellent medical students, no longer work in Albania. It is very sad that the elite of medical students has emigrated" - said Gjoni, a doctor in the USA in the interview given to the authors of the study. 

Fatmir Brahimaj, the president of the Order of Doctors, advises that the emigration of doctors can be curbed with a series of reforms that should include increasing salaries, improving working conditions such as infrastructure, technology, training and qualifications, better equipment with drugs and medical devices.

(Source: Monitor)