The Balearic Islands have gained 691 doctors but continue to lose nurses. Credit: Yuri A/ Shutterstock
Data from the Official College of Doctors of the Balearic Islands (Comib) shows a positive balance of medical professionals in the Balearic Islands since 2022.
Specifically, the Comib registered a total of 1,363 new registrations and 672 cancellations during this period, resulting in a net gain of 691 more doctors compared to previous years.
Currently, the Comib has around 7,200 registered doctors from all specialties, working in both the public healthcare system and private clinics.
Since 2022, IB-Salut has had a dedicated unit for attracting new professionals. The Recruitment and Professional Support Unit (UCAP) has successfully attracted 642 professionals since its launch — approximately 250 per year on average, mainly doctors.
Verónica Segura, Deputy Director of Labour Relations at the Balearic Health Service (Servei de Salut), explains that the unit was created in response to the widespread shortage of professionals across Spain, as “one of the key objectives for caring for our workforce,” implementing specific measures to “promote recruitment, retention, and professional development.”
Segura notes that since 2024, the department has grown from 1 to 5 staff members, demonstrating that it is a strategic project for the Balearic Health Service. She adds that the initiative has been pioneering on a national level and is now being replicated by other regions.
In 2024 alone, UCAP supported nearly 3,200 professionals, helping them with matters related to public employment. It also conducted 675 job interviews.
She also clarifies that, initially, the most readily available professionals were nurses, but “from 2023 onwards, UCAP has primarily managed to attract doctors from a wide range of specialties.”
Segura explains that a key focus area — their main niche for talent acquisition — is recruiting resident doctors, both those who have trained in the Balearic Islands and those from other regions who were not assigned a post after their rotations and are advised on how to obtain one in the Balearics.
Talent acquisition and retention
The balance translates into the recruitment of 3 doctors in 2022, 89 in 2023, and 146 last year through this unit. In total, 238 doctors have accepted posts within the public healthcare system in the Balearic Islands — 38 of them as general practitioners, with the remainder in other specialties.
“The most in-demand profiles are, without doubt, specialists in Anaesthesia and Resuscitation, Gastroenterology, Oncology, Psychiatry, Psychology, and General and Digestive Surgery,” states the head of the Labour Relations Department.
Regarding the advantages offered by IB-Salut to attract new professionals, Segura says that “in addition to the quality of life, which is repeatedly highlighted in satisfaction surveys, we offer work incentives, career development, and bonuses for hard-to-fill posts,” among other benefits.
By contrast, data from the Official College of Nurses of the Balearic Islands (Coiba) is less encouraging.
In this profession, the balance has been negative for years. Between 2022 and now, there have been 818 new registrations and 856 cancellations, resulting in an average loss of around 50 nurses per year from both public and private healthcare services in the islands.
The high cost of housing and the working conditions offered to professionals appear to be key factors affecting the ability of local healthcare centres to retain and attract talent, which has led to stark differences between the two professional groups.
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