There are currently around 6.000 missing in Serbia of health workers, warned the president of the union doctor and Serbian pharmacist Gorica Đokić, pointing to deep problems in the functioning of the health system.
Speaking at the conference "Labor rights and dignified work in Serbia: the state and directions of reforms", she assessed that from the point of view of health workers, the key problems are a collapsed organization, bad management and a strong influence of politics in the selection of personnel.
"There is a continuous outflow of employees, but not only through economically highly developed countries, but also outside the healthcare system, because it is easier for people to work for a hundred thousand in a bakery than to carry a responsible job for less money. Also, a high level of stress, continuous overload, which is why the system relies heavily on personal enthusiasm," said Đokić.
She said that the individual is the basis of the system without which health care would collapse, but also that the problems of low wages are still pronounced.
Disproportionate earnings
Đokić pointed out that doctors' salaries are disproportionate to the responsibilities of the job, as well as that there are inequalities in the basics.
She added that "one doctor in Serbia has about 1.000 dinars less base and less value of points than the most numerous personnel in healthcare".
"When that is multiplied by the coefficient, a novice doctor has an absolutely identical salary as someone with a high school education, but works a little longer, which is also a very disincentive factor," Đokić assessed.
No progress
She cited the lack of professional advancement based on work results as an additional problem.
"Instead of relying on the sustainability of the system, the health system relies on the endurance of people," Đokić pointed out.
According to her, the healthcare system is chronically overburdened and faced with a constant shortage of staff.
"Currently, Serbia lacks about 6.000 health workers according to the structure given by the Institute of Public Health, which means that the real needs are even greater. Health workers, due to overload and a constant shortage of staff, work continuously twenty-four hours seven days a week at the limit of psychophysical endurance," she said.
There are currently around 21.000 doctors working in Serbia, of which 13.500 are specialists, and more than 60 percent of them are over 55 years old.
In addition, the health system employs about 46.000 nurses and technicians, as well as 23.000 non-medical workers, without whom the system could not function.
Source: FoNet
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