Ukrainian employers increasingly feel the shortage of medical personnel. In July 2026, there were almost twice as many job vacancies in medicine and pharmaceuticals as there were four years ago, and the median salary rose to 20,000 UAH. In the spring, over 9,000 job vacancies for medical staff were opened on the government portal. This was reported by RBK-Ukraine referencing OLX Work.
Which medical professionals are most sought after in 2026
In July, the number of ads in the 'Medicine / Pharmaceuticals' category was almost twice as high as in July 2022. During this period, the median salary increased by 20%: from 16,700 to 20,000 UAH.
Among the most in-demand specialists are dentists, nurses, pharmacists, orderlies, paramedics, and pharmacy managers. Employers are also looking for dental technicians, rehabilitation specialists, speech therapists, caregivers, and medical assistants.
The highest median salary among the mentioned professions is offered to paramedics - 28,625 UAH. Pharmacists earn 25,250 UAH, dentists 24,500 UAH, nurses 14,250 UAH, and orderlies 12,500 UAH.
At the same time, pay can vary significantly depending on the region and employer. For example, in the Kirovohrad region, the median salary for dentists reaches 95 thousand UAH.
'These are professions that require long-term training, and short-term retraining courses are not feasible. The medical field has a significantly longer cycle for training specialists, so it is difficult to quickly fill such vacancies,' explained Maria Abdullina, head of OLX Work.
The shortage is further exacerbated by migration and mobilization processes. According to OLX, in medicine and pharmaceuticals in August, there was only 2.6 responses per job vacancy.
Will there be enough young doctors in Ukraine
Medical specialties did not make it to the top ten most popular fields in the 2026 admission campaign. In total, applicants submitted nearly 1.2 million applications, with management being the leader with 105,301 applications.
However, according to state orders, 15% more students were enrolled in higher medical educational institutions than last year. At the National Medical University named after O.O. Bogomolets, the most popular programs became medicine, dentistry, and therapy and rehabilitation.
A survey by OLX Work also showed that 16% of respondents today would consider medicine and healthcare as a field for study.
The problem lies in the speed of training personnel: even increasing the number of students will not allow for quickly filling vacancies, as the training of a doctor takes years. One of the solutions could be additional training for people already working in the medical field.
It should be noted that earlier Inkorr reported that in 2026, the passing score for medicine was left at a minimum of 150 points.