Action plan to reduce the shortage of doctors
In order to reduce the shortage of health professionals and their uneven distribution in the country's regions, the Ministry of Health (MoH) has prepared a Health Professional Attraction and Retention Action Plan 2024-2029.
According to the Minister of Health, Arūnas Dulkys, the uneven distribution of medical professionals and the shortage of certain professions are among the most pressing problems in the health system. The plan will lay a solid foundation for human resources management in the health system.
"Until now, there has been a lack of systematic planning according to the needs of the state, which not only covers the training of doctors, but also the attraction and retention of doctors in the different medical institutions. In the light of long-term projections, such an action plan has been developed, covering the entire cycle of attracting and retaining doctors. I believe that it will ensure a more even distribution of doctors in the country, and will provide municipalities with additional tools to address the shortage of doctors. I would underline that great attention will be paid to the training and retention of nurses, taking into account the ongoing transformation of the health system," said the Minister.
The biggest projected shortage is of nurses
According to data collected by the Ministry of Health, there is a total shortage of 652 health professionals (524 doctors and 128 other health professionals, including 79 nurses) in health care facilities in Q4 2023. According to a survey carried out by the National Audit Office last year, just over a third of healthcare institutions reported a shortage of nurses or nursing assistants.
The 2023 update of the study by the Government Centre for Strategic Analysis (STRATA) forecasts that in 2032 Lithuania will have a shortage of 4 643 general nurses, 2 355 nurses' assistants, 1 328 advanced practice nurses, 543 dental assistants, 269 family doctors, 207 internal medicine doctors, 146 paediatricians and 134 emergency medicine doctors.
After analysing the current situation and the forecasts provided, the SAM has developed an action plan to reduce the uneven distribution of health professionals at national level and to reduce the shortage of health professionals with certain professional qualifications and specialisations.
The action plan includes monitoring the shortage, training, distribution and attraction of health professionals, improving the forecasting and planning of health professionals, measures to empower, attract and retain health professionals.
Planned investment in training and professional development
Funding of €30.7 million from the Investment Programme for European Union Funds 2021-2027 is foreseen for measures to attract health professionals. These funds will be used to increase the efficiency of health human resources management, finance the cost of tuition fees, develop and implement a model for empowering, attracting and retaining health professionals in the health service, raise the profile of the most scarce professional qualifications and specialisations, and provide career guidance, among others.
To address the shortage of nurses and nursing assistants, it is planned not only to increase the prestige of their professional qualifications, but also to allocate €14.8 million to finance tuition fees and scholarships.
The Action Plan provides for €10.7 million in funding for the professional development of health professionals from the 2021-2027 European Union Funds Investment Programme for the following areas: primary, specialised, long-term care, etc.
3,200 future medics to study at public expense
In response to the inequalities in the demand for health professionals, the SAM, together with the Health Human Resources Policy Group, has initiated changes in 2022 to allow for the commissioning of a wider range of health professionals, and to make the process of commissioning more transparent and based on more in-depth analysis. The composition of the State Commissioning Committee (SCC) has been renewed and restructured, and two Expert Councils have been set up to provide insights, analyses and recommendations. The State, through the SSC, has commissioned the training of 3251 different health professionals for the academic years 2024-2025, to be trained in publicly-funded places, including 490 nurses and midwives, 60 dental assistants, 365 medical doctors and 365 specialist doctors.
To enable medical institutions to attract the specialists they need, the Ministry of Health has made it possible for them to pay the tuition fees of trainees, students and resident doctors in exchange for a commitment to work at the institution for an agreed period of time after graduation. Institutions are encouraged to apply other incentives, to create a favourable psycho-emotional climate, organisational culture, professional development opportunities, to involve healthcare professionals in decision-making, to ensure self-fulfilment, to help them to integrate successfully into the region, the society, the team, and to apply other monetary (tuition fees, accommodation, transport, etc.) and non-monetary incentives, as it is important to not only attract, but also to retain and empower healthcare professionals (for all the most relevant information, see HERE).
The MoH encourages health care institutions to initiate cooperation between municipalities, higher education institutions and institutions, to identify and connect students from the region during their studies, to start talking early about future job prospects and to encourage them to return to their region of origin. The Ministry has consistently stressed the importance of the following criteria for choosing to stay in a workplace: a sense of security, belonging, respect, self-fulfilment, and successful integration into a new location, both in terms of the workplace and geography.