Blog

Andras Kulja: Europe is facing a healthcare crisis

Andras Kulja/LinkedIn

Feb 13, 2025, 09:23

Andras Kulja: Europe is facing a healthcare crisis

“Europe is facing a healthcare crisis!

Right now, 1.5 million healthcare and social professionals are missing from European systems. In just five years, this gap will grow to 4 million, leaving us with:

– 600,000 fewer doctors
– 2.3 million fewer nurses
– 1.1 million fewer social workers

The impact is devastating, especially in Central and Eastern Europe, where hospitals, pediatric surgery units, and specialist care centers are shutting down due to staff shortages. In Hungary alone, nearly 1,000 GP practices are unfilled, leaving 1.5 million people without access to basic care. Meanwhile, the average age of general practitioners is 60, with no new workforce in sight.

As I stated at the European Parliament during my Plenary intervention, we cannot afford to treat this as a national issue alone. A European-level response is urgently needed!

We must act together to:

– Prioritize healthcare workforce retention and training.
– Invest in cross-border healthcare solutions and digital health innovations.
– Support policies that ensure accessible and sustainable healthcare for all Europeans.

I welcome the upcoming joint report of the Committee of Employment and Social Affairs and Committee of Public Health that will address the challenges of health workforce shortages.

If we don’t act now, we are heading toward a full-scale crisis – one that will affect millions of lives. It’s time for collective action at the EU level.”

Proceed to the video attached to the post.