Andorra Doctors Warn Retiring Family Physicians Will Leave Critical Gaps in Primary Care

Doctors Albert Dorca and Roser Bellmunt have warned that upcoming retirements among family doctors will intensify staffing pressures in Andorra's primary care system, as ageing professionals with large patient loads leave gaps that may require multiple replacements.

Speaking at a roundtable on Tuesday evening in the Consell General foyer to mark World Family and Community Medicine Day, Dorca, president of the Col·legi de Metges, highlighted the issue. He noted that a cohort of family doctors aged 55 to 65 currently manage high patient volumes, meaning their retirements in four or five years could demand more than one young doctor per vacancy. "We will surely need more than one young doctor to replace them, because they tend to accumulate quite a large group of patients," Dorca said.

The specialists reiterated family medicine's foundational role in public health, drawing on expertise across nearly all medical fields and enabling continuous patient care. They referenced a study of over 4.5 million people showing that retaining the same family doctor for 15 years can lower mortality by up to 25 per cent. Family medicine resolves 90 per cent of issues using just 20 per cent of the health budget, they added, amid challenges from population ageing and growth.

Dorca described current primary care staffing as stable, with 40 doctor workdays providing coverage slightly below WHO recommendations but better than some southern neighbours, even during flu season peaks. However, forward planning is essential as the population rises.

To attract young doctors from neighbouring countries, Dorca pointed to the Health Ministry's planned update this May to the medical procedures classification and tariffs, long considered outdated. This reform would align fees with modern procedures and diagnostics, serving as an incentive to compete regionally. The ministry has not confirmed an exact rollout date, with Dorca noting it is not imminent within weeks.

Family medicine may need to take on more shared responsibilities, Dorca suggested, calling for balanced coordination across specialties. Authorities have not outlined further responses to these calls for investment and planning.