Costa Blanca
Alicante health service short of doctors
By h.b.
Oct 6, 2008 - 8:04 AM

There is a continued shortage of doctors in Alicante province with a particular problem finding paediatric specialists.

The Valencia Regional Health Department has been actively looking to attract foreign doctors to the area to cover and now there are 564 working in Alicante province, some 9% of the total. Most of the foreign doctors come from Germany and Cuba, followed by Holland and Colombia.

Extending retirement dates is now also being considered as an option, as is bringing doctors back after retirement.

Medical unions say the problem has arisen in part because of the increase in the local population with the arrival of many immigrants, in combination with less specialists being trained in universities.