European Parliament report addresses critical healthcare staffing shortages

European Parliament rapporteur Loucas Fourlas presented a report in Nicosia regarding the critical shortage of healthcare professionals across the European Union. The report, developed following months of consultations, warns that the EU will face a deficit of nearly 1.2 million doctors, nurses, and midwives by 2030. Key drivers of this crisis include an aging workforce, with 30% of doctors and 18% of nurses aged 55 or older, and declining interest among young people in healthcare careers. In Cyprus, the Pancyprian Nursing Association (PASYNO) reported that over 1,500 nurses have left the profession in the last decade. The report highlights that these shortages negatively impact patient care, leading to longer waiting lists, overloaded emergency departments, and delayed diagnoses. The document has already been approved by two European Parliament committees as a policy intervention to urge member states to take action. The presentation in Nicosia was attended by officials including Stella Kyriakidou and representatives from the Cypriot Ministry of Health and the Medical Association.