Colombians Contribute to the Wave of Latin American Doctors Practicing in Spain
Venezuela, Colombia and Cuba top the list of Latin American countries from which many physicians providing medical services in Spain originate. According to estimates, the proportion is approaching one doctor not born in Spain for every 10 practicing in the Iberian country.
Figures from the Spanish Medical Association (OMC) provided to the Spanish newspaper El Pais suggest that there are now more than 30,000 registered physicians (out of the current 331,864) who were born outside Spain. But that number, the newspaper warns, falls short because not all provinces have disaggregated data.
Colombian doctors arrive in Spain through different channels
The flow of Colombian physicians arriving in Spain can take different forms. Last year, for example, Colombia’s National Learning Service (SENA) launched a job recruitment campaign in Spain seeking medical professionals.
The agency was looking for personnel for a major Spanish business group accredited by Spain’s Immigration authorities and the Ministry of Immigration in Madrid, in coordination with the SENA Public Employment Agency.
The selection process had two modalities: in-person, in which preselected professionals had to be available to travel at their own expense to the city designated for the recruitment process; and virtual, in which preselected candidates were contacted by the company to verify their qualifications.
There are also companies dedicated to supporting non-European Union physicians on their path to practicing medicine in Spain. Since the process is complex, they offer comprehensive assistance ranging from the recognition of medical degrees to employment at recognized hospitals.
They offer medical degree recognition for general practitioners who have not yet had their degrees recognized in Spain or the European Union, medical specialty recognition for specialist physicians who want to practice as such in Spain, and even professional connections with hospitals for doctors whose qualifications have already been recognized and who are seeking employment in Spanish hospitals.
Increase in foreign professionals dates back to the pandemic
Although there are no official figures that allow a rigorous measurement of the evolution of foreign doctors arriving in Spain over the years, the sources consulted by the Spanish newspaper (trade unions, the OMC, and doctors from both the public and private sectors) all agree that there has been a steady increase since the pandemic.
The newspaper provided additional figures supporting that conclusion: in 2023, there were just over 15,000 physicians born outside Spain working in the National Health System, according to a report by the Ministry of Health. And according to statistics from the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, favorable medical degree recognitions increased from 3,152 in 2017 to 8,845 in 2023.
In 2024, there were 8,865, and they reached a historic record last year, with 30,303. El Pais explains that it is possible to have a degree recognized without actually practicing in the country, but that it is often the first step. Many of these professionals seek recognition, but do not necessarily end up working or living in Spain.
The same Ministry of Health report cited by the Spanish newspaper also reflected a shortage of physicians in Spain that is expected to reach 9,000 next year, especially family doctors.
That is precisely one of the specialties in which foreign professionals are most frequently recruited, although with the problem that many begin working in the public healthcare system without having their specialty officially recognized.
But having a medical degree recognized does not solve everything, the newspaper warns. “It allows a person to practice as a physician, but it does not automatically amount to the recognition of a specialty, which is theoretically essential to work in the public healthcare system. But in practice, it is happening,” it says.
Since the pandemic, the hiring of professionals without recognized specialties has been authorized due to extraordinary needs, and since then this practice has continued to grow, according to complaints from both trade unions and medical organizations.