Urgent need for an EU strategy to tackle the EU’s healthcare workforce crisis  

The Committees on Employment and Social Affairs and Public Health adopted a report on Wednesday by 85 votes in favour, three against, and with two abstentions, to guarantee the sustainability of healthcare systems and improve employment and working conditions in the healthcare sector.

One million extra healthcare workers

MEPs are asking the Commission for an ambitious strategy to increase the healthcare workforce by at least one million during the next multiannual budgeting period (2028-2034). To increase the number of healthcare professionals, MEPs propose action to attract more young people to the healthcare professions, EU funds for scholarships, cross-border cooperation, and targeted measures to guarantee fair pay and job stability.

Better working conditions

Healthcare workers should have fair remuneration, mental health support, and job security, MEPs say, while emphasising need for high-quality education and training for staff. They also want support for rare specialties and advanced practice roles.

Safeguarding the well-being of frontline staff is a major priority, according to MEPs, as one in three doctors and nurses experience mental health challenges. They call for an obligatory framework to recognise unsafe staffing levels as an occupational hazard, to relieve the physical, psychological and administrative burden faced by healthcare workers.

More funds for healthcare

The report stresses the need for adequate financing to sustain healthcare systems, including increased public funding and the strategic use of EU funds, as well as an increase in the allocation and efficient use of dedicated EU funding.

Use of AI to support healthcare

While human care should remain central, MEPs recognise the benefits of digital health solutions, such as telemedicine and AI-supported diagnostics, also to support rural areas where the workforce deficit is particularly acute.

Workers should be equipped with essential digital skills and training when it comes to AI, for example in relation to AI-supported diagnostics and to make sure they can use new technologies effectively.

Quotes

Loucas Fourlas (EPP, CY), rapporteur for the Employment and Social Affairs Committee, said: “Hospitals, primary care centres and long-term care services are under increasing pressure due to understaffing, burnout, ageing populations and growing healthcare demands. This is not only a workforce issue — it is a matter of patient safety, equal access to healthcare and the long-term resilience of our public health systems. Today the European Parliament acknowledged the daily reality faced by doctors, nurses, carers, pharmacists, and all health professionals across Europe. We need concrete action, and we need to make real efforts to reduce brain drain, because investing in healthcare workers means investing in the future of healthcare itself.”

Ruggero Razza (ECR, IT), rapporteur for the Public Health Committee, said: “The future of European healthcare depends on our ability to invest in people. Healthcare professionals are the backbone of our healthcare systems, and tackling workforce shortages must become a strategic priority for Europe. We need to make healthcare professions more attractive, strengthen education and training pathways, and create the conditions that allow talent to stay and thrive within our healthcare systems”.

Next steps

The report still needs to be endorsed by Parliament as a whole. It is expected to be tabled for the upcoming plenary session in July.

Background

The EU is facing a severe healthcare workforce shortage: there was a deficit of 1.2 million workers in 2022, with an expected deficit of almost one million by 2030 in the European region according to the WHO, as demographic changes and rising long-term care needs are exacerbating the demand for care. Potential risks arising from staff shortages include compromised patient safety, overcrowded emergency services, long waiting times, and delayed diagnoses.