UEMO President Tiago Villanueva attended the HAOSZ
UEMO President Tiago Villanueva attended the HAOSZ (Háziorvosok Online Szervezete – Online Organisation of General Practitioners) Primary Care Conference in Balatonalmádi, Hungary, on 3-4 October. Across two key presentations, he addressed the critical roadblocks and the strategic path forward for our profession.
Here are the key takeaways from the discussions:
- The Current Challenges in European Family Medicine
- Workforce Shortages: European nations are facing severe gaps, with thousands of missing GPs across the UK, Spain, Italy, and beyond.
- Systemic Strains: Low job satisfaction driven by intense bureaucracy, overwhelming patient list sizes, and a lack of proper recognition.
- The Legal Gap: While recognized nationally, Family Medicine is still not formally categorized under “Specialized Medicine” in EU law (Directive 2005/36/EC).
Building “The New Era of Family Medicine”
To make General Practice sustainable and attractive to the next generation, UEMO is advocating for a comprehensive strategy:
- Structural Reforms: Pushing for manageable workloads, smaller patient lists, reduced bureaucracy, and adequate remuneration. Academic & Early Exposure: Increasing medical students’ exposure to Family Medicine and developing a European Training Requirement.
- Amplifying Our Voice: Elevating Family Medicine’s brand by recruiting Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs), engaging influencers, and maintaining relentless policy advocacy with EU institutions.
- Family Medicine is an incredible brand, but it needs stronger marketing, modern career paths, and formal EU-level specialist recognition. UEMO remains committed to lobbying and advocating at the highest levels to protect our workforce and ensure optimal patient care.
Credit: Eszter Rózsavölgyi
