Employment, Estonia, EU – Baltic States, Markets and Companies, Medicine

Last year, 190 healthcare workers submitted to the Healthcare Board an application to get a certificate proving their training and work experience is in line with EU requirements; in the first three quarters of this year, 129 health-care workers have acquired the certificate, 62 of whom are doctors, Postimees cites medical news Med24 portal.

Healthcare workers going abroad for employment in general shows a downward trend. The number of certificates issued in 2013 was 303 and in 2012, it was 389. In total, since Estonia joined the European Union in 2004, 3,265 healthcare workers have acquired the certificate.

The Health Board adds though that the number of certificates issued and the number of healthcare workers who actually have gone to work in another country is not the same. Realistically, around 55-60% of health care workers who take the certificate go to work in another country.

In addition, these figures do also include repeatedly issued certificates, like when doctors switch speciality, when they move from one country to another etc.

Over the years, several health professionals have taken four or five certificates, but nevertheless work in Estonia. In some disciplines so-called e-services – such as radiology, are provided. A healthcare professional can also work at the same time in Estonia and abroad –that is often the case with healthcare workers who work also in Finland.