It is not a surprise at all that just like other professions, doctors and nurses are migrating from the eastern and south-eastern countries of Europe to western European countries. According to data from the European Commission, the health care professionals are leaving their domestic poorer countries and migrating to countries which are better off. Basically, poorer countries are training doctors for their richer neighbours.

Romania lost half its doctors between 2009 and 2015. A few years after Poland joined the EU, more than 60 percent of fifth- and sixth-year medical students were planning to find work abroad. Slovakia had about 15,000 practicing physicians when it joined the EU in 2004; 3,800 have applied to leave since then. The situation in Hungary is alarming as well. According to the Hungarian Ministry of Human Resources the country stands to lose half of its 6,500 family physicians in the next 10 years due to emigration and retirement.

Among the V4 countries, there is only one which has gained more health care professionals than lost: the Czech Republic , which has gained 26,8 doctors and nurses for every 100 thousand people. On the contrary compared to Czechia, Poland has lost -15,3 doctors and nurses for every 100 thousand people. The situation in Hungary is dire since it has lost -36,9 doctors and nurses for every 100 thousand people, but the situation in Slovakia is beyond catastrophic. The worst performing V4 country has to come to grips with losing -56,3 nurses and doctors per 100 thousand people. In the EU there are just two countries which have lost more doctors and nurses than Slovakia: namely Greece (-60,4) and Portugal (-64,2).