BiH is still waiting for the first tranche of the Growth Plan, because it has not agreed on the Reform Program. Brussels is still keeping its door open and there is a lot of work to be done. In order to implement the priorities of the Berlin Process, there is also the work of harmonizing legislation with European standards. What will the freedom of movement of medical workers in the region bring when the prerequisites are met?
Regional cooperation offers numerous opportunities, but the opening of the market and the freedom of movement of the workforce are also a threat to BiH healthcare, because the working conditions for healthcare workers in the region are very attractive. Agreements on the recognition of university degrees and professional qualifications for certain professions are the results of the Berlin Process.
“We would have 2.3 or 2.4 doctors per thousand inhabitants. In Serbia, this number is 3.3 or 3.4, and in Croatia 3.1 or 3.2. In Austria, Norway and Poland it is 5, and in other countries 6. Or plan to import healthcare personnel from countries from which we already import workers in other sectors – Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal, Philippines,” explains Prof. Dr. Zaim Jatić, family medicine specialist at the Center Health Center.
In primary care in the Canton of Knin, the situation is not alarming so far, although doctors are a scarce profession.
“Hospitals have announced vacancies for a large number of specializations, the number of specializations exceeds the number of doctors we have. A vacancy has been announced for a large number of doctors, but there are currently no vacancies for our needs, so the Health Center will have to wait until September or October, when a new generation of doctors from the faculty will appear,” Jatić points out.
Pranvera Kastrati, head of the Regional Cooperation Council’s Program Department, states that by 2020, 30,000 health workers from the Western Balkans were working in Germany – mostly from Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
One of the priorities of the Berlin Process is the abolition of the visa regime, which has not been implemented in practice with Kosovo.
“A very strict visa regime has been imposed for the arrival of Kosovo citizens in BiH, and a maximum stay of 5 days is considered if approved. That is not enough even for residence, let alone employment – that is an impossible mission,” warns Elvira Dushi, president of the Albanian Community in BiH.
Political scientist Haris Ćutahija reminds that at the state level, part of the coalition supports a visa-free regime with Kosovo, while the other part is strict in not recognizing Kosovo as a state.
At the same time, BiH citizens traveling to Kosovo have no problem.
“All ID card holders and BiH citizens have the option to travel to Kosovo without a visa, both for ordinary travel and for advancement in terms of education or specialization,” notes Dushi.
Dženan Omanović, Head of the Department at the Center for Information and Recognition of Documents in the Field of Higher Education, adds that political issues are also much easier to resolve based on economic connections.
The harmonization of regulations with European standards is pending, as well as defining the status of persons who come to BiH for work and seeking refuge.
“The residence of workers and students in BiH should be defined differently by regulations, because the residence of a foreign worker, refugee, asylee, or person under protection is currently defined in the same way,” emphasizes Omanović.
Assistant Minister of Labor of the FBiH Edis Imamović stated that in the coming period, we can expect a shortage of medical personnel if Western countries open their borders even more.
The lack of labor and retention of workers is becoming a chronic problem because working conditions in the EU are incomparably better than in the region. The implementation of the Berlin Process, as a bridge between the Western Balkans and the EU, is not satisfactory and needs to be improved, but politicians must do their part.
