The European Commissioner for Health, Stella Kyriakides.
The European Comission has stepped aside in the open debate on the hiring of doctors who do not have a specialty to fill the positions of Primary Care given the shortage of professionals that affects some territories. After the criticism expressed by the international organizations of physicians against this phenomenon, Brussels has clarified to Medical Writing that the competence to regulate access to a profession corresponds exclusively to the respective countries that make up the community block.
The governing body of the European Commission has explained that the Directive on the Recognition of Professional Qualifications approved in 2005 already poses a Automatic system” to regulate the “broad range of medical specialties” in the group of 27 member states, with specific references to the characteristics of general practitioners in several of his articles.
“Member states can decide to regulate access to a profession if they so wish, as long as this regulation is proportionate and necessary to ensure the achievement of the objective pursued. Within those limits, they may require a qualification in a relevant medical specialty. Brussels sources have exposed this newspaper.
The only condition that Brussels has wanted to make clear is that when countries adopt or modify new regulations that affect access to a profession such as Medicine, they must guarantee that the provisions “do not discriminate (directly or indirectly) on grounds of nationality or residence” to candidates from other territories of the European Union. Community physicians must have the same conditions as nationals of the host member state”, the Commission stated.
European doctors take a position
This response occurs after the European Union of General Practitioners (UEMO) has made an appeal to countries like Spain, Portugal or Romania so that they do not resort to doctors without a specialty to fill vacancies in Primary Care. The organization that represents 20 states raised in its last General Assembly held in Slovenia its fear that this situation will spread to the old continent.
The institution, which is represented by the General Council of Official Colleges of Physicians (Cgcom) of Spain, identified the problem in various autonomous communities of the national territory. A phenomenon that has been observed in some cases in which pediatricians have had to consult with adults and vice versa in some health services.
In the same position has been placed the European Union of Medical Specialists (UEMS) that has expressed its rejection of alternatives such as the one put on the table by Portuguese Government to take non-specialty doctors for consultation in health centers under the guardianship of physicians who have completed their Family Medicine residency. A decision that, in his opinion, can end impacting on “patient safety”.
“Move the powers of doctors to other professionals It’s not going to solve the problem.”explained to Medical Writing UEMS General Secretary, João Grenhoduring one of his visits to Spain to discuss the competency model for doctors.
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