Andorra Struggles to Recruit Specialist Doctors Amid Low Pay and Housing Crisis
Salaries lag far behind neighbors like France and Switzerland, while acute housing shortages block relocations, warns medical college president.
Key Points
- Specialists earn €5,000/month for 40-hour week vs. €10,000+ in France, double in Switzerland/Ireland.
- Housing crisis: Spanish doctor rejected rentals exceeding 33% income despite stable job.
- Public views doctors as well-paid, complicating salary raise talks.
- Threatens medical coverage in key specialities due to recruitment failures.
Andorra faces ongoing challenges in recruiting specialist doctors, driven not only by salaries lagging behind those in neighbouring countries but also by acute housing shortages that deter potential hires.
Albert Dorca, president of the Col·legi Oficial de Metges d'Andorra, outlined these issues during Wednesday's *Avui serà un bon dia* programme on Ràdio Nacional. He explained that a specialist with recognised qualifications working a 40-hour week at the hospital receives a base salary of around €5,000 monthly. By comparison, equivalent positions in Switzerland or Ireland offer more than double, while in France it nears €10,000—often with strong progression potential that boosts earnings further.
Dorca described salary discussions as delicate, given public perceptions that doctors are already well-paid, which can invite claims of greed. He affirmed that €5,000 remains a solid wage but emphasised the competitive global market: when rivals pay more, Andorra loses out. While the Principat offers attractions like its environment, safety, and education, these seldom serve as the primary lure for medical professionals.
Compounding the problem, Dorca shared an anecdote about a doctor relocating from Spain. Despite securing approval to practise in Andorra and earning the typical €5,000 salary, the physician could not find rental accommodation. The cheapest options exceeded 33% of his income—over €1,700 monthly—and both agencies and landlords deemed him a payment risk, despite his profession's traditional reliability. "They didn't rent to him, even with the seriousness and guarantees that being a doctor and having that salary supposedly provides," Dorca said. The doctor ultimately abandoned the move due to lack of housing.
These barriers threaten adequate medical coverage for Andorra's population, particularly in specialities.
Original Sources
This article was aggregated from the following Catalan-language sources: