The health crisis magnified by the pandemic does not seem to be picking up and the statistics do not augur well for the future. In addition to the current lack of staff and resources, there will also be a decline in the number of professionals reaching retirement age. According to data from the study carried out by the Granada Medical Union Study Centre, it is estimated that a total of 80,000 doctors will retire over the next 10 years.
These are vacancies that, at the current rate of residents completing their training, will not be able to be filled in full.
The statistics compiled in the study show that on 31 December 2021, of the total number of registered doctors (283,811), 23.1% were between 55 and 64 years of age, meaning they would be close to retirement. Figures which should also be added are professionals between 65 and 69 years of age who are still active but will also retire in the next 10/12 years.
The report states that ‘in Spain, there has been no adequate medium- and long-term planning, despite the many times since 2010 that, through reports, we have warned of the lack of specialist doctors to cope with the significant number of retirements expected in a given time and in certain specialties’.
An alarming situation to which must be added the overload of patients, stress, and the increased fatigue suffered by healthcare staff, whose only way out is through investment in healthcare.
How can the crisis in the health system be overcome?
While it is true that it is necessary not only to replace the posts of staff who will retire but also to increase the number of professionals, the health system needs a profound transformation that will enable it to sustain the system.
It is vital to invest the resources that will facilitate the work of health workers, whose only concern should be patients. And precisely what they need to achieve this is time.
Digital prescriptions, and digital medical records… have been advances that have more than proved their effectiveness and it is time to continue to rely on technology to support healthcare.
The next step to achieve transformation is to streamline workflows and patient flows, as well as to improve the working environment, through the orchestration and automation of processes.
At MYSPHERA, through our solutions, we offer a clear and concise value proposition:
🔹Agile and automated patient flow
🔹Relevant information at every stage of the process
🔹 Fully integrated digital hospital
🔹The importance of traceability throughout the entire process
Obviously, investment in technology does not replace the need to increase the number of healthcare professionals, but it is capable of achieving something fundamental: facilitating their work, reducing their workload and, therefore, their stress and fatigue, and providing them with the time they need for the most important thing: attending to patients.
