In an interview with RTL Danas, Health Minister Irena Hrstić presented a strategy that plans to fill critical gaps in the system, emphasizing that the future of patient treatment lies in motivating, not forcing, young professionals into rural and less accessible areas.
The plan, which will soon go into public consultation, foresees the allocation of as many as 3699 specializations in the next five years, with a clear focus on the most vulnerable branches of medicine.
Family medicine as a priority, followed by pediatricians and emergency physicians
According to the presented plan, the largest number of specializations, as many as 450, will be focused on family medicine, a branch that has been facing staff attrition and a large number of doctors about to retire for years.
"When we talk about family medicine doctors, we are missing a few hundred of them when we talk about the future because they are retiring," explained Minister Hrstić, adding that the goal is to replace these departures with new specializations in a timely manner.
Right after family medicine, the priority is pediatrics and emergency medicine, areas that are also under great pressure.
The minister points out that there are already around 700 open specializations in the system at the primary health care level, which include gynecology.
"These are the numbers that we expect to need to supplement at this point over the next five years and I expect that we will succeed, or rather we must do everything to succeed," said Hrstić.
The key issue is staffing clinics in rural areas and on islands.
One of the key and most sensitive issues is how to fill clinics in rural areas, on islands and in other less attractive areas. When asked how she plans to "force" young doctors to work in these areas, Minister Hrstić offers a paradigm shift.
"First, I would change the narrative a bit, so I wouldn't say about pushing, but about motivation," she said.
According to her, the solution lies in the synergy between the Ministry and local government units, which best know the needs and possibilities of their region.
She cited Velika Gorica as a good example, where the mayor managed to solve the problem of the shortage of pediatricians through financial measures and monthly salary supplements.
"That's exactly what I'm trying to emphasize. We need to clearly detect what can motivate a young doctor, or a middle-aged doctor, to come to work on the island, in Lika, Slavonia... It's a dynamic process, because the motivating conditions are not the same today as they were when I was 30," she assessed.
The minister added that she does not expect young doctors to be dissatisfied with the new plan because it offers a wide range of opportunities - from primary care specializations to hospital specializations.
"I think there is room for everyone," she said, inviting all interested parties to participate in the public consultation.
Ministry awaits report from Zadar General Hospital
In addition to strategic plans, the minister also referred to a specific case from Zadar General Hospital, where doctors allegedly failed to remove a piece of plastic from a child's throat.
She confirmed that the Ministry requested a statement from the director and that the hospital, after receiving a complaint, initiated internal supervision in mid-September.
"At this moment, I have no information whether the internal oversight has been completed," the minister briefly reported.
Source: RTL/Government
Photo: Vlada.hr
