Medical staff work in the emergency ward in Cluj-Napoca. Romania has bled out tens of thousands of doctors, nurses, dentists and pharmacists since joining the European Union a decade ago, lured abroad by what the country lacks: significantly higher pay, modern infrastructure and functional healthcare systems.

REUTERS/Andreea Campeanu

A nurse gestures at doctor Andreea Kis's medical practice of in the village of Tureni, Romania. REUTERS/Andreea Campeanu

Students study at the Medicine and Pharmacy University in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. There are currently over 6600 students at the Medicine and Pharmacy University in Cluj-Napoca, of which around 2260 are foreign. REUTERS/Andreea Campeanu

Snow lies on roofs in the village Salistea de Sus, Romania. REUTERS/Andreea Campeanu

A student at the University of Medicine and Pharmacy spends time in her dorm room during the exam period in Hasdeu, Cluj-Napoca, Romania. There are currently over 6600 students at the Medicine and Pharmacy University in Cluj-Napoca, of which around 2260 are foreign. REUTERS/Andreea Campeanu

Lacrima Dambu, a Romanian doctor who has been working in Germany for five years, holds her nephew in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. REUTERS/Andreea Campeanu

Sonia Papiu, 25, poses for a photo in her room in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. Sonia Papiu is a resident psychiatrist, and hopes to go to work in Germany. REUTERS/Andreea Campeanu

A surgical ward is seen in the hospital in Borsa, in the Transylvania region of Romania. Because the hospital has only one doctor per speciality for most specialties, when the doctor goes on leave, the hospital has to close that speciality. REUTERS/Andreea Campeanu

Medical equipment is seen in the delivery room at the hospital in Borsa, Romania. REUTERS/Andreea Campeanu

Files are seen in a corridor at the hospital in Viseul de Sus in Romania. The hospital has only one doctor per speciality for most areas and when the doctor goes on leave, the hospital has to close that unit. After finishing their residency in the hospital many young doctors either leave to live abroad or go to larger medical centres. The management of the hospital managed to bring a Syrian and a Moldovan doctor to help fill positions. REUTERS/Andreea Campeanu

A doctor and a volunteer medical student who work for SMURD, part of the emergency rescue service, hug before the night shift at their office in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. REUTERS/Andreea Campeanu

A monument to doctors who worked in Sacel from 1938 to 2016 is seen next to the village practice, in Maramures county, Romania. REUTERS/Andreea Campeanu

A photo is seen on the fridge in a student dorm room at the University of Medicine and Pharmacy, in Hasdeu, Cluj-Napoca, Romania. REUTERS/Andreea Campeanu

Women stand in front of a traditional wooden gate after the Epiphany Mass, in Bogdan Voda, Romania. Doctor Andrada Ganea works in the town as a family doctor, while her husband, doctor Robert Ganea, works in nearby villages. REUTERS/Andreea Campeanu

Dennis Ciui, 19, a dental student, looks at her phone as she celebrates a friend's birthday at a bar in Hasdeu, Cluj-Napoca. REUTERS/Andreea Campeanu

Women stand in front of the church during the Epiphany Mass, in Bogdan Voda, Romania. Doctor Andrada Ganea works in this town as a family doctor, while her husband, doctor Robert Ganea, works in nearby villages. REUTERS/Andreea Campeanu

Anuta Iuga, 65, one of doctor Gabriela Dromereschi's patients, poses for a portrait at home in Salistea de Sus, Transylvania region, Romania. REUTERS/Andreea Campeanu

Medicine is seen in a cabinet at the hospital in Borsa, Romania. REUTERS/Andreea Campeanu

Bottles and glasses sit on a table at the home of Anuta Iuga, 65, one of doctor Gabriela Dromereschi's patients, in Salistea de Sus, Romania. REUTERS/Andreea Campeanu

A cart transports wood in Salistea de Sus in Romania. REUTERS/Andreea Campeanu

A hallway is seen at a medicine student dorms in Cluj-Napoca, in Transylvania region of Romania. There are currently over 6600 students at the Medicine and Pharmacy University in Cluj-Napoca, of which around 2260 are foreign. REUTERS/Andreea Campeanu