"Almost 50% of positions in emergency medicine remained vacant (in 2022), and many of those who fill these positions eventually decide to leave", the National Secretary of the doctors' union ANAAO told Euronews.
ADVERTISEMENTIn Italy, seven doctors quit their hospital jobs on average every day -- and the majority of those departing work in emergency rooms.
Difficult working conditions, poor organisation, long hours, and low pay is a mix of factors overshadowing the attraction for this area of medicine, much sought after in the past by young doctors seeking an exciting, fast-paced role with unique learning opportunities.
“This year, like the last year, saw almost 50% of positions in emergency medicine remain vacant, but many of those who fill these positions eventually decide to leave. In these conditions, the emergency room physicians will soon be a rare commodity,” Pierino Di Silverio, national secretary of the doctors' union ANAAO, told Euronews.
Angela Mauro is a paediatrician who, after four years of work in an emergency room in Naples, decided to move to Milan and to a different hospital unit.
“Since I left the emergency room, my quality of life and work changed completely, in terms of stress and satisfaction," Mauro told Euronews.
"Now, I can actually study my patients, and that means treating and curing them in the best possible way: this is satisfying for physicians.”
Watch Euronews' video above to find out more.