MD Training Program Attracts First Lady
The 'Doctors Back to Medicine' program will retrain 16 former or aspiring doctors to bring them back to the health care sector. One of them is Evelin Ilves, the wife of President Toomas Hendrik Ilves.
The program was launched in April, but the Ministry of Social Affairs, which is funding it, said in a press release on Tuesday that they are increasing funding as more people have signed up than initially hoped.
The 16 former doctors or people with a higher education degree in medicine will all receive a three-month-long retraining, followed by supervised work experience and an exam.
Participants will also be paid twice the national average salary during the program.
Eesti Päevaleht reported today that one of the 16 is Ilves, who completed her studies in medicine in 1993, but never began her residency, opting for a career in media and public relations.
The program is organized by the faculty of medicine at the University of Tartu.