Haris Vranic was the Minister of Health of Canton Sarajevo (CS) in the previous two years, and his mandate was continued in the composition of the new Government of CS. In an interview, he talked about challenges and problems in the field of healthcare in this canton.
Namely, one of the most pressing problems is the deficit of health personnel, because of which everyone suffers – both citizens and employees, and the quality of health care is not at a satisfactory level.
At the beginning of the conversation, Vranic points out that the current situation in healthcare, which is primarily related to the lack of medical staff, is a consequence of the stepmotherly attitude of the previous authorities towards the healthcare system.
“Unnecessary personnel were accumulating, and it was not taken into account that pediatricians, pulmonologists and many others who treat us have to retire and that someone needs to replace them. Our citizens contact me every day via e-mail, my colleagues talk with them over the phone, and we also had open-door days at the Ministry. They all present the problems they encounter in this system and I listen to them. The fact is that it takes time and lengthy procedures to solve the accumulated problems in healthcare,” Vranic noted.
He adds that he will remain persistent in the intention that the Ministry will make certain progress in this field. In the past period, we received a large number of complaints from dissatisfied parents who pointed out the problem of the lack of pediatricians.
Namely, he explains that in the previous period the Ministry of Health of the CS gave consent for an indefinite term employment for five specialists in Public Utility Health Center of CS in 2021, two specialist pediatricians in 2022, according to the expressed needs of health institutions.
However, the problem of the lack of health workers was caused by an unplanned approach to the health sector that has been going on for years, especially with regard to the number of residents.
“The problem of the lack of, say, pediatricians has been going on for more than 20 years. It was not taken into account that the training of doctors takes six years, specialization takes even longer, so the education of such personnel takes over ten years. In addition to the funds for financing specializations that are planned in the Financial plan of the Health Insurance Institute of CS, the Ministry also planned funds in the amount of four million BAM for this purpose in its Budget for this year,” says Vranic, Klix.ba reports.
