An econometric study of the costs of training medical staff in Moldova, coordinated by the World Health Organization (WHO), reveals that the medical education system of the country prepares too many specialists, if taking into account the real absorption capacities of the national providers of medical services, and includes too low tuition fees, which are subsidized with taxes paid by Moldovan taxpayers. Furthermore, the students who receive state scholarships do not fulfill the obligation to work for public sector providers, even if a subsidy was offered to them. Thus, half of the costs for training doctors are wasted, IPN reports.
Five years of university medical studies cost the Moldovan taxpayers US$13,500 in the case of a student who receives budget funding, while the studies on a contract basis cost US$9,300, which is the gross tuition fee. Three years in therapeutic residency costs US$9,400 for budget-funded students and US$5,400 for students studying on a contract basis. For nurses and other medical staff with secondary specialty studies, the three years of training cost US$3,000 for students who receive budget funding and US$2,000 for those studying on a contract basis.
In this connection, the WHO specialists underline that the way in which the training of doctors, nurses and other medical staff is financed creates powerful stimuli for brain drain. The study authors suggest implementing mechanisms for improving financing based on the experience of other states. Thus, the idea that the countries of destination can refund the sums invested in the training of medical staff was analyzed as a solution for compensating the losses associated with brain drain. According to the specialists, an official agreement on the training of a group of doctors should be signed by the education institution and an employer, a group of employers or a ministry.
The experts recommend implementing a management-based accounting system that would offer the necessary information for contributing to taking decisions such as, for example, whether the 118 post-university specializations can be provided in Moldova, in a cost efficient method, or abroad.
The study was made with the financial support of the European Union.
