Hospitals launch campaign to recruit doctors to Ida-Viru

Medical institutions in Ida-Viru County have launched a joint campaign to attract doctors, as the region is short of about 100 physicians, ERR reported. The hospitals hope to ease the staffing shortage by offering career opportunities.

Ida-Viru Central Hospital, the county’s largest hospital, could employ up to 30 medical professionals immediately, but few candidates are coming forward. The hospital plans to promote its opportunities among medical students to influence their career choices early.

“They come here for an internship, and if they like it, they talk about it. Once that connection has been created, it is significantly easier to bring that doctor or nurse here to work later,” said Pille Letjuka, chief physician at Ida-Viru Central Hospital.

The state offers relocation support of up to 30,000 euros to people who take jobs at hospitals outside major centres, but money is not always the strongest motivator.

“I have made salary offers that would make people in Tallinn gasp, but unfortunately I still have not found people willing to come here for that money,” said Üllar Lanno, a member of the management board of Narva Hospital. He said a long-standing distrust had developed among doctors about moving to Narva, which was why the campaign was being launched.

Ida-Viru hospitals say there is a shortage of doctors across Estonia and that competition for new employees is intense. They believe the state must find a systemic solution.

Lanno said one option would be to increase the number of doctors entering specialist training by 30 percent to compensate for the 33 percent who do not complete their residency. This would significantly increase the likelihood that they would eventually reach hospitals, he said.

Doctors who have moved to Ida-Viru highlight the experience they can gain there.

“A doctor who works a 24-hour shift in the emergency department or intensive care unit at Ida-Viru Central Hospital can work in any hospital in the world and go anywhere. They have the experience to cope in any situation,” said Neeme Somma, head of the hospital’s anaesthesiology and intensive care clinic.

So far, the shortage of doctors has been eased through staffing shifts. More than one-third of the specialists working in Ida-Viru County are employed by healthcare institutions in another county.