Small Romanian hospitals struggle to attract and keep specialist doctors
The manager of Spitalul Orășenesc Corabia says the facility repeatedly advertises specialist posts but cannot guarantee doctors will accept them, leaving the hospital short-staffed.
Marian Petre Ilin explained that Spitalul Orășenesc Corabia must repeatedly open contests for specialist positions such as diabetologist, ENT doctor, ophthalmologist, neurologist and urgentist, yet there is no certainty that candidates will actually take the jobs. The hospital currently relies on doctors who travel daily from Craiova, a commute that has exhausted many, including the sole remaining neurologist who plans to leave.
Ilin dismissed the idea of turning the facility into a mono-specialty hospital, noting both the severe shortage of rehabilitation physicians and the risk of leaving a large, aging catch-area without adequate care. Patients already wait up to six weeks for outpatient rehabilitation, and nearby hospitals like Spitalul Municipal Caracal would be overwhelmed if Corabia’s services collapsed. Although the hospital is equipped with modern equipment funded by European projects, the persistent human-resource gap hampers its operation.
Why it matters
Doctor shortages in rural hospitals threaten access to essential medical care for tens of thousands of residents.
In this story
