Bosnia and Herzegovina Lost 1,000 Doctors of Medicine and 200 Specialist Doctors in the Last Five Years

(Patria) - It is estimated that one thousand doctors of medicine and 200 specialist doctors have left Bosnia and Herzegovina in the last five years, according to a publication by the International Organization for Migration.

In addition to going abroad, doctors are leaving healthcare institutions and opening private practices, writes BHRT.

According to data from the Medical Chamber of FBiH, 25 specialist doctors left FBiH from January to June this year. Besides doctors, medical staff are also leaving, and the situation varies from one healthcare institution to another.

- We have a chronic shortage of staff. There is one problem in the whole of BiH that leads to us having a terrible problem with staff. In BiH, we have approximately 160 doctors per 100,000 inhabitants, while in the EU it is 360, our standards are outdated - says the president of the Medical Chamber of ZDK, Tarik Kapidžić.

The departure of healthcare workers from Bosnia and Herzegovina has been a phenomenon present for a long time. Doctors mostly go to Austria, Germany, Scandinavian countries, and in recent years, more and more are going to Slovenia.

Hospitals in RS are also facing the departure of doctors. On the other hand, they point out that the number of young doctors specializing has also increased.

- Our hospital is among the larger general hospitals, and for now, we do not have staffing problems. Of course, there has been some fluctuation, but I must say that our hospital has 69 specialists and 25 subspecialists, and I must praise that there are 64 doctors in specialization - points out Dr. Mikajlo Lazić, director of the Public Health Institution Hospital "Sveti Vračevi" Bijeljina.

In addition to going abroad, doctors leave healthcare institutions for other reasons as well. The solution is better salaries and working conditions, say BHRT's interlocutors.

- People leave here, work odd jobs in the Federation, come to us from Serbia, and go to Croatia and Slovenia from the Federation. That's the market, and then the question arises - whose responsibility is it and who suffers the most damage? The people suffer the most damage, and the people are silent and endure - these are the words of prim. dr. Miodrag Femić, president of the Union of Trade Unions of Healthcare Workers of RS.

- Essentially, salaries in Bosnia and Herzegovina are non-existent, but after a little analysis, we came to the conclusion that salaries are not the problem. The biggest problem is labor relations, working conditions, and the personnel policy of parties that appoint heads and chiefs, and young people do not want to tolerate that - adds Kapidžić.

According to the latest research by the World Health Organization, Bosnia and Herzegovina, along with Albania, has the lowest number of doctors relative to its population. The diagnosis is clear, the only question is whether the authorities are ready to take responsibility for the therapy.