‘Soon half a million Croats will have a doctor, he does 870 doctors over the age of 60’
Very soon, in a year, half a million inhabitants of Croatia will not have their doctor – warn from the Croatian Medical Chamber, which today presented the information from the second wave of research « Study of Croatian Medicine 2024. » Already missing almost three hundred family doctors, over a hundred gynecologists and as many pediatricians, and doctors have only a few minutes of time for each patient because they are overloaded. In addition to a large number of patients, they are also pressed by administrative work. There are as many as three hundred doctors over the age of 65, which rests much of the system.
– Three years ago, 650 doctors in family medicine were over 60 years old, today 870 of them. The primary health care has been devastated, we have come to a critical level, which is reflected in the entire health system, warns the head of the Croatian Medical Chamber, Dr. Kresimir Luetic. It is equally in gynecology, pediatrics, even doing doctors older than 70, because there are not enough young people. In the next five years, they warn from the Chamber, the number of family doctors will further fall drastically.
Zagreb: Croatian Medicine Chamber presented the results of a survey on primary health protection |
In five counties: Bjelovar-Bilogora, Brod-Posavina, Istrian, Požega-Slavonian and Virovitica-Podravina lacks at least twenty percent of family doctors, while in some gynecologists, there are also over fifty percent of the gynecologist, in Sisak-Moslavina, for example, 80 percent of gynecologists in relation to the number. Even in Zagreb, a third of the gynecologist is missing. Pediatricians are missing from 20 to 50 percent everywhere, while 80 percent less than the necessary in Sisak-Moslavina.
Too little time to examine your baby
– Pediatricians in primary health care are examined daily by an average of 44 small patients and an employment 25 consultation with their parents, we are missing chronically, and we care for 50 percent more children than prescribed standard, says pediatrician Dr. Ilonka Artuković. Particularly concerned is the fact that pediatricians, she added, do not have enough time for systematic preventive examinations of children, but not even for the thorough care of sick children, which increases the risk of medical failure. Pediatricians average nine minutes to examine babies and children, which is three times less than the time prescribed by norms. Of the 240 pediatric specialists, 75 are over 60 years old. Without emergency measures, warns Dr. Artuković, the primary pediatrics in Croatia will completely collapse. Due to too little pediatrician in primary protection, parents go to emergency hospital reception, burdening that system then.
Gynecologist Marko Dragic warned of an equally serious situation among primary gynecologists.
– In only four counties, a deficiency of a gynecologist is below twenty percent, elsewhere it is greater. Due to the lack of gynecologists, nine thousand patients can be enrolled in each office, and an examination, which should take 45 minutes in some cases, may not be more than fifteen minutes. For example, with a 19 -year -old patient who has a polycystic ovary, I should talk to the whole school hour, and in addition to thousands of other patients, I can devote half an hour less, notes Dragic.
« No more enthusiasm that maintained the system »
Nearly 80 percent of doctors are dissatisfied with the time spent with patients, and almost 70 percent said they worked daily every day, or several times a week to meet all the work demands. In health centers, 12 percent of doctors did not go to the annual because of too much work, or rarely used it. It is very difficult for them to find a replacement, because the vast majority of retired doctors also work. In family medicine, 46 percent of doctors are in moderate or high risk of « burnout », beating, with the more pronounced in doctors than with doctors. Each sixth doctor of family medicine and gynecology is exposed to verbal violence of patients.
Zagreb: Croatian Medicine Chamber presented the results of a survey on primary health protection |
– A typical working day of the family doctor in the Health Center includes 32 examinations, forty consultations and so many contacts by mail, phone, messages, said Dr. Ines Balint, President of the HLK Commission for Primary Health Care.
– The situation is continuously deteriorating. The system survives thanks to the enthusiasm and the victim of a doctor, but this model is no longer sustainable, said Dr. Vikica Krolo, Deputy President of the HLK. Doctors are also outraged by the HZZO relationship, mostly because of the excessive administrative load that the institute imposes on them.
The average salary of a beginner doctor at the Health Center is around 1,800 euros, while the salary of a specialist in primary health care is about 2,500 euros net.
The HLK believes that cities and counties should be more active in attracting doctors to financial incentives, providing apartments, while doctors generally need to be administratively relieved. The Chamber believes that the number of patients should be reduced to 1,500 per family doctor, according to a pediatrician to 850, and by a gynecologist at five thousand. Some gynecologists now have ten thousand women now enrolled.
