TIRANA, July 6 /ATA/ – Medicine University students gathered in front of the Assembly of Albania on Thursday to protest protesting against yesterday’s government decision to condition medical degrees on five years’ work in Albania.
Medical students stated they don’t intend to leave Albania and describe the government decision as “a violation of the human fundamental rights.”
The disputed decision came as a preventive measure of the government to stop migration of students and new doctors.
Announcing the decision at a press conference after a regular cabinet decision, Prime Minister Edi Rama said that the state funds public university for education and training of young physicians so that it can defend life and ensure health care service to all citizens.
“Medicine it is not like all other professions but has also to do with the obligation of every state to provide healthcare for its citizens and the right of citizens to obtain healthcare,” PM Rama said.
“At a time when primarily Germany and other rich countries are struggling with their demography, with their aging population, with the ever increasing need for fresh and young human resources that should be imported from abroad and that have become the last stop station for many professionals and many qualified individuals in all fields, doctors and health professionals in this case, it is absolutely indispensable for us to take such a step, which is the most normal and the easiest possible step to be taken, meaning that every medical student who enters the University of Medicine will have to first familiarize himself with the fact that medicine has as many studies’ years as there are, and then in order to be equipped with a diploma, must spend five years in the service of this people. Everyone wanting to study Medicine should fulfill this condition,” he said.
The opposition also opposed the bill, arguing that “the proposed legislation is extreme and it violates human rights.”
However, lawmakers decided to discuss the draft on the medical students with an accelerated procedure in parliament’s session on July 20.
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