Rama Conditions Medical Degrees on Five Years’ Work in Albania

The decision came as a measure to prevent the migration of medical students from the public university, who for years have left to work in Europe, especially Germany, soon after getting their degrees.

The plan has been public for some months, but was only passed on Wednesday and Prime Minister Edi Rama delivered the decision himself, wanting to send a "message", while presenting it.

Rama said medicine it is not like all other professions but has also to do with the obligation of every state to provide healthcare for its citizens and the right of citizens to obtain healthcare.

"Every medical student who enters the University of Medicine will have to first familiarize himself with the fact that medicine has as many studies' years as there are, and then in order to be equipped with a diploma, must spend five years in the service of this people," Rama said.

The PM added that everyone wanting to study Medicine should fulfill this condition.

Students currently in the study process, if they want to leave, may now do so, but will have to pay a tax whose details will be made known in future.

The decision has been strongly opposed by Medicine students who have protested against it.

Rigels Xhemollari, an education and youth expert from the Tirana-based Qendresa Qytetare (Citizen's Resistance) organisation, told BIRN that the decision looked like "a populist-communist decision", partly because many times the phrases "people" or "in the name of the people" were used.

"It has basically violated students' rights and students' contracts with the university, since for a student who has entered with some kind of fee or with some conditions the rules are being changed in the middle of the game," Xhemollari told BIRN.

...