Medical associations in Spain deny the shortage of professionals and the brain drain
A report warns that one in four doctors will retire in the next decade and that doctors need to be better distributed across specialties.
BarcelonaThere is neither a shortage of doctors nor a brain drain in the state. This is the assessment made by the Spanish Medical Association (OMC) after conducting a demographic study of the profession, contrary to what some have suggested. from the diagnosis carried out by other professional associationsUnions and scientific societies have been increasingly vocal in recent years, particularly after the COVID-19 pandemic. While many stakeholders point out that doctors trained in Catalonia often go on to work in other countries or autonomous communities, the Spanish Medical Association maintains that Spain has a better number of physicians than other European countries and therefore argues that there is no shortage of professionals, but rather a need for better distribution across specialties. However, the study acknowledges the need to end job insecurity in the sector, improve continuing education for professionals, change the compensation model, and combat excessive workloads to make the national health system more attractive to new doctors.
The report presented this Thursday by the president of the OMC, Tomás Cobo, was compiled using data from the 52 medical associations in Spain and, according to its conclusions, in 2025 there are 310,558 registered doctors, of whom almost 276 are registered. On average, this means 568 doctors per 100,000 people, although it acknowledges that there are a "great territorial inequality" Among autonomous communities. By autonomous community, Catalonia, Madrid, and Andalusia lead in absolute terms, together accounting for 49% of all active physicians nationwide. However, Madrid has the highest number of physicians, with 671 professionals per 100,000 inhabitants. Catalonia is just below the national average (567 per 100,000 inhabitants), followed by the Canary Islands, La Rioja, Murcia, Galicia, the Balearic Islands, the Valencian Community, Andalusia, Castilla-La Mancha, Ceuta, and Melilla, which ranks last with 300 professionals. Therefore, the Spanish Medical Association (OMC) emphasizes the need to adjust the number of residency positions (MIR) according to the needs of each region and specialty to avoid perpetuating the existing territorial inequality. According to the report, a 3% increase in MIR (Medical Residency) positions is projected for 2026, reaching 9,726 positions. Another conclusion of the analysis is that, although Spain has the highest number of medical schools per capita in the world (53, of which 38 are public), the number of students is below the European average. Therefore, it calls for better medium- and long-term planning, especially considering the projected retirements in the sector. Regarding the specialties with shortages, such as family medicine or pediatricsHe believes it is necessary to deploy exceptional measures to mitigate this situation and allow for an increase in the number of specialists. 25% will retire within 10 years.
One of the warnings issued by the medical association is that a large number of professionals will retire in the next decade. Its report estimates that one in four doctors in Spain will retire in the next 10 years, meaning almost 70,000 professionals. According to its analysis, the average age of doctors is 47. The autonomous communities with the oldest medical workforce are Aragon, Asturias, Castile and León, and the two autonomous cities. Only the average age of doctors in Madrid, Murcia, the Canary Islands, and the Valencian Community is below 47. Therefore, Cobo insists that urgent planning is needed to reverse this situation. Specifically, the OMC (Spanish Medical Association) is requesting a forecast of entry and exit from the medical profession in the coming years so that retirements do not affect the quality of care or the number of professionals working in the healthcare system. Another conclusion of this analysis is that the presence of women in the medical profession continues to grow, now representing 59% of active professionals, compared to 52% in 2017. Furthermore, this figure is expected to continue rising because 71% of medical students are female. While there are increasingly more women working in the healthcare system, this majority is not reflected in leadership positions, which are currently held by men.
