Despite earlier assumptions that the wave of departures had slowed, new data shows that the exodus of medical professionals from Bosnia and Herzegovina continues at an alarming pace. Over the past five years, around 1,200 doctors—both general practitioners and specialists—have left the country, leaving those who remain under increasing pressure.
Healthcare workers face a dual burden: dissatisfaction with their professional status and the authorities’ approach to the sector, alongside mounting frustration from patients who struggle to access timely and adequate care due to staff shortages.
The situation is particularly critical in Zenica, where emergency room staff report being overwhelmed by workload and a lack of personnel. Tensions have escalated to the point of physical incidents, prompting the introduction of security measures at the emergency department.
Emergency medicine specialist Ahmed Pašalić stressed the urgent need for systemic changes, including increased funding and better staffing allocation based on patient numbers. He highlighted the stark reality that along the busy Doboj–Sarajevo route, only in Zenica is a doctor available to respond to emergencies on-site.
Union representatives warn that the country lacks a sufficient number of doctors to meet demand. Marina Berberović from the Federation of Professional Unions of Doctors of Medicine and Dentistry pointed to disparities in pay across cantons, with some regions offering significantly lower coefficients. In the Central Bosnia Canton, for example, salaries are nearly 20 percent lower than in Zenica. Meanwhile, doctors in Tuzla have already announced strike actions.
Negotiations in Central Bosnia Canton have stalled despite initial agreements, further fueling dissatisfaction among healthcare workers. Union representatives say the government has backtracked on previously discussed salary increases, prolonging the dispute.
The consequences of these systemic issues are increasingly visible in everyday medical practice. Overburdened doctors are forced to conduct examinations that last only a few minutes—far from sufficient for quality care. Unions are now demanding limits on patient loads and clearly defined consultation times to improve both working conditions and patient outcomes.
The trend is not limited to doctors alone. According to court interpreter Belma Šator, healthcare workers make up the largest share of professionals seeking employment abroad, followed by craftsmen and IT specialists. Many of those leaving are young and highly trained.
Harun Hodžić, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Zenica, emphasized the financial and societal cost of this trend, noting that training a single specialist can require up to 300,000 BAM.
As the healthcare system increasingly resembles a high-pressure “flow” service rather than a structured system of care, experts agree that the responsibility does not lie with frontline workers. Instead, the key issue remains whether there is sufficient political will to implement meaningful reforms.
In the words of union representatives, the diagnosis is clear—the only remaining question is whether the necessary therapy will follow.
