Alarm over nurse shortage in Spain

SOME 95,000 nurses are needed in Spain to reach the European average, according to a new report from The General Nursing Council (CGE). 

The president of the CGE in an interview with Spanish Broadcaster RTVE claimed: “There are only 330,000 nurses in Spain, which means that for every 100,000 inhabitants only 625 nurses are available.”

“The European average is 827,” he added.

In Europe, only Slovakia, Italy, Hungary, Bulgaria, Greece and Latvia have fewer nurses in proportion to population than Spain.

The number of patients that nurses have to treat in Spain is double and sometimes triple the number recommended by the European Union.

“Not having enough nurses means a greater probability of complications, readmissions, adverse effects, and even death,” warned president of the CGE Florentino Pérez Raya. 

However, there are big differences between each region – according to the report, Navarra is the only region that surpasses the minimum number of nurses per 100 inhabitants.

Murcia is the region with fewer nurses per inhabitant with only 463 nurses for 100,000 people.

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