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. 2014 Jun;14(3):229-38.
doi: 10.7861/clinmedicine.14-3-229.

Licensing procedures and registration of medical doctors in the European Union

Eszter Kovacs  1 , Andrea E Schmidt  2 , Gabor Szocska  3 , Reinhard Busse  4 , Martin McKee  5 , Helena Legido-Quigley  5
Affiliations

Licensing procedures and registration of medical doctors in the European Union

Eszter Kovacs et al. Clin Med (Lond). 2014 Jun.

Abstract

The current proposals to update the European Union (EU) directive on professional qualifications will have potentially important implications for health professions. Yet those discussing it will struggle to find basic information on key issues such as licensing and registration of physicians in different countries. A survey was conducted among national experts in 14 EU member states, supplemented by literature and independent expert review. The questionnaire covered five components of licensing and registration: (1) definitions, (2) regulatory basis, (3) governance, (4) the process of registration and (5) flow and quantity of applications. We identify seven areas of concern: (1) the meaning of terminology, which is inconsistent; (2) the role of language assessments and the responsibility for them; (3) whether approval to practise should be lifelong or time limited, subject to periodic assessment; (4) the need for improved systems to identify those deemed no longer fit to practise in one member state; (5) the complexity of processes for graduates from non-EU/European Economic Area (EAA) countries; (6) public access to registers; and (7) transparency of systems of governance. The systems of licensing and registration of doctors in Europe have developed within specific national contexts and vary widely. This creates inevitable problems in the context of free movement of professionals and increasing mobility.

Keywords: Registration; directive on professional qualifications; licensing; professional mobility; revalidation.

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Figures

Fig 1.
Fig 1.
Mobility of medical doctors. AT = Austria; BA = Bosnia and Herzegovina; BE = Belgium; CZ = Czech Republic; DE = Germany; DK = Denmark; EE = Estonia; EL = Greece; ES = Spain; FR = France; FI = Finland; HU = Hungary; HR = Croatia; IN = India; IT = Italy; MT = Malta; NE = Nigeria; NL = the Netherlands; PK = Pakistan; PO = Poland; RO = Romania; RS = Republic of Serbia; RU = Russia; SE = Sweden; SI = Slovenia; SK = Slovakia; UK = United Kingdom.
Fig 2.
Fig 2.
Responsible bodies for registration and licensing. Note: the countries where registration and licensing are conducted by health authorisation offices also have medical chambers, but the chamber is not responsible for medical licensure. Health authorisation offices are often attached to public bodies such as the Ministry of Health.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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