Medical Brain Drain in Debt-Stricken Greece: Is There a Way to Address It?

The recent financial crisis has led to an intensification of the emigration of Greek physicians from their homeland. This mass exodus represents a significant human capital flight while in the same time it results in the loss of the resources invested in their education. It is, therefore, necessary to investigate into effective policies aiming towards controlling this phenomenon. Methodologically, a systematic review of the relevant literature was undertaken. Based on this systematic review an action plan for addressing the problem was developed. The main goals of this action plan is to reduce the brain drain, to encourage Greek physicians working abroad to return to Greece and to utilize the valuable skills of both the returning physicians as well as of those working abroad. The interventions proposed are grouped in six main categories. The first category includes measures that enhance the quality of the working conditions and promote the motivation of the medical staff within the Greek National Health Service. The second category deals with matters of graduate and postgraduate medical education, while the third one addresses the issue of poor workforce planning and the resulting oversupply of physicians in Greece. The fourth category addresses issues relating to biomedical research and technology and the fifth one includes measures aiming towards creating global networks of Greek physicians and bioscientists. Last but not least, the sixth category proposes interventions in the area of health tourism and clinical trials aiming to increase productively the demand for medical services in Greece.