The Minister of Health and Social Protection of the Population of Tajikistan spoke about the shortage of doctors in the country, how many medical workers emigrated and why, as well as what salary Tajik doctors receive.
The country lacks 2,298 doctors and 575 nurses, Jamoliddin Abdullozoda said at a press conference on August 9.
He added that:
– there are 49 doctors and 35 nurses missing in Dushanbe;
– there are 778 doctors missing in Khatlon region, the issue of shortage of secondary medical personnel has been resolved;
– 579 doctors and 55 nurses are missing in Sughd region;
– the Districts of republican subordination lacks 153 doctors and 105 nurses;
– in Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region – 23 doctors and 6 nurses;
– there are 149 doctors and 67 nurses missing in private medical institutions;
– there are 153 doctors and 105 nurses missing in other ministries and departments.
According to the Minister, the main reason for the shortage of medical personnel in the country is that graduates of medical educational institutions do not choose such areas as narcology, psychotherapy, family medicine and radiation diagnostics. But the Ministry's employees do not have the right to force students who have been trained under a contract to choose a specialty.
According to Jamoliddin Abdullozod, 70 doctors and 343 nurses left Tajikistan in 6 months of 2023. Earlier he said that 548 doctors and 1,187 medical workers emigrated from Tajikistan in 2022.
The Minister added that the main reason for doctors’ emigration are, first of all, their professional development abroad and the benefits of the host country, including housing, high salaries and benefits for their children.
But, according to him, most nurses go abroad not to work, but to their husbands.
Abdullozoda added that salary is not always the reason for the dismissal of doctors, because if a doctor works well, he has a high professional level, he does not think about salary.
And the doctors themselves tell that one of the main reasons for their dismissal is low salary.
