Inca Hospital is looking for pediatricians on InfoJobs: "Views of the Serra and 20 minutes from stunning beaches in the Bay of Alcudia."

PalmThe shortage of healthcare professionals makes filling positions an adventure, and the administration is resorting to everything, even job posting platforms like InfoJobs. The Inca Regional Hospital is seeking two pediatricians, and the job posting seems, at times, more like an advertisement for medical tourism or a promotional campaign for a travel agency: "The hospital is located at the foot of the Tramuntana mountain range, with spectacular views of the mountains, just 20 minutes from the capital, Palma, and from Alcudia. In both cases, it can be accessed directly from the highway, which makes transportation very convenient."

The IB-Salut assures that, when internal channels for recruiting staff have been exhausted, and people from outside are sought, all available mechanisms are used to try to fill vacancies, which is the priority.

For its part, the Hospital explains that the job offer was posted by the Pediatrics Department to fill two imminent vacancies. In fact, they have already received phone calls from candidates, although the headline of the advertisement lists the Health Department of Ibiza and Formentera—when Inca is in Mallorca. Pediatrics has repeatedly asked InfoJobs to correct this, but so far without success.

Regarding the job, the advertisement states that the Pediatrics Department has a general hospitalization ward, intermediate care for newborns, consultations, and emergency rooms separate from those for adults, a whole range of attractive possibilities. The Pediatric Emergency Department has recently been renovated, providing spacious consultation rooms "and the most advanced technology available on the market."

A full-time contract is offered, with a possible interim contract, with morning hours (8 a.m.-3 p.m.) and a maximum of five on-call shifts per month (ideally 3-4), and afternoon consultations, if desired. They also promise professional development in multiple subspecialty areas—Gastroenterology, Neurology, Cardiology, Pulmonary Allergy, Nephrology, and Infectious Diseases—with regular rotations at the island's referral hospital, Son Espases. The team is also praised: "Excellent, with young professionals and very good interpersonal relationships."

Where are the pediatricians?

In the Balearic Islands, there is a shortage of pediatricians with recognized qualifications. 45% of the professionals occupying pediatric positions in Primary Care (PC) are family doctors or non-EU pediatricians without recognized qualifications. "This situation has been mismanaged for many years because there has been no foresight. It's not clear whether politicians want PC with pediatrics, but it is evident that they have done nothing to encourage new doctors to dedicate themselves to it," pediatrician Edelmiro Vergés explains to the PC.

"The training is very different. Those who have the specialty have learned to treat pathologies specific to infants; a family doctor only completes two months of pediatrics and then dedicates himself to adults," adds Vergés. He concludes: "A child is not a small adult. He has problems that have nothing to do with those of adults."

According to Vergés, another problem is that "politicians have not taken care of PC." "People who want to be pediatricians usually apply for a place in the hospital. When there's no room left, they'll have to go to health centers." This reality clashes with the idea of having a doctor in every municipality: "Since there are no professionals, they create unstaffed positions and look for a family doctor to do the same," she says. Despite her discontent, Vergés has nothing against family doctors, but makes it clear that they are not the solution.