Assigning young specialists in healthcare system to be optimized

The procedure for assigning young specialists within the healthcare system will be maintained, but the mechanism will be optimized. Health Minister Alexandru Gasnaș made the statement today. He notes that doctors should not be assigned solely to cover staff shortages, but rather based on the medical services available, the existence of a team, and opportunities for professional development.

The minister said that assignment should take into account location where functional medical services exist and the institution’s capacity to provide young specialists with the conditions necessary to practice and develop professionally.


“We need to think much more logically when assigning young specialists, because we should not merely fill vacant positions. It must have a certain rationale. The basic idea is to place young specialists where services are available. We cannot assign an intensive care specialist to a location where there is no patient flow or no need for an intensive care colleague, nor can we send a surgeon trained to provide much more complex services to an area where such services do not exist. Therefore, we will make assignment much more intelligently, especially since we are reviewing the services in each hospital institution. By late December, we will have more than just a draft concept outlining which services will be available and in which institutions, because we need to understand that medicine is not just infrastructure and hospitals; it also means having a team and the capacity to learn and develop in the future. They will be allocated where there is a team and the capacity for future professional growth,” Gasnaș explained after today’s Government meeting.


The Health Minister emphasized that starting in 2027, a government decision will come into force providing for a five-year allocation period for young specialists, along with a financial incentive of 250,000 lei, paid in two installments.


“We will certainly maintain the allocation of young specialists, but their placement will make more sense and be more logical in the locations where they are sent. The goal is not merely to fill shortages of specialists in district hospitals or other localities. (...) Assignment should not be perceived as a hardship by these specialists. First and foremost, we must create the conditions for them to have all the tools necessary to work effectively and achieve tangible results, rather than simply sending them to the northern or southern parts of the country,” Gasnaș stressed.


According to the National Statistics Bureau, the healthcare system in the Republic has 12,600 doctors across all specialties and 23,687 people with secondary medical training.