In the last two years, seven doctors left the Nikšić General Hospital, while five specialists retired.
From the beginning of 2024, the orthopedist, pediatrician and gynecologist left the institution, and previously the dermatovenerologist, pathologist, anesthesiologist and psychiatrist.
"Vijesti" has learned that more doctors have recently announced their departure from the institution, so one psychiatrist submitted a request to the director of the institution in which he proposes a mutual termination of employment from October this year, while the pediatrician verbally announced his departure in September, and the surgical resident also submitted request to transfer to the Clinical Center of Montenegro (KCCG), which was not approved.
Answering the questions of "Vijesti" about how many doctors left the hospital in Nikšić in the last two years, the director of the hospital, Dr. Dušanka Milatović Perović she said, however, that one doctor left the institution.
"One doctor left, an orthopedist, who went to work in Slovenia. In that period, we received three doctors - a cardiologist, an ophthalmologist and an internist. Namely, the internist left our institution four or five years ago and recently returned to the hospital," writes Milatović Perović in his reply.
Asked what staff is lacking in that institution and what they are doing to hire more doctors, director Milatović Perović said that the situation is similar to other hospitals in Montenegro.
"Our hospital, like most hospitals in Montenegro, lacks staff. Here, they are psychiatrists, infectious disease specialists, surgeons, orthopedists, and ENT. We are doing everything in our power to employ them - specializations are constantly advertised, doctors from the surrounding area are hired, of course, all with the support of the Ministry of Health", the answer reads.
According to "Vijesti" data, five retired doctors left the Nikšić hospital recently. These are specialists in medical biochemistry, gynecology, psychiatry and ENT. Although there was an opportunity for them to continue working in accordance with the Law on Health Care, this did not happen.
The law allows healthcare workers who have reached the age of 67 and have at least 15 years of insurance experience, and possess a specialization, to continue working in a healthcare facility if no candidate applies to the employment advertisement or a candidate who does not meet the prescribed conditions applies.
"Vijesti" previously announced that there are currently only three psychiatrists working in the hospital in Nikšić, while seven are planned according to the systematization. At that time, the institution said that they had been announcing competitions for specialization in psychiatry for years, to which no one applied.
The institution of the Protector of Human Rights and Freedoms pointed out that the number of psychiatrists is insufficient, recommending that personnel capacities be strengthened in accordance with the Act on Systematization. If another psychiatrist leaves the hospital in September, who has already submitted an application for mutual termination of the employment contract, only two specialist doctors from that field of medicine will remain in the hospital.
The outflow of professional staff, along with problems such as the aging of the population and chronic non-communicable diseases, is recognized as one of the main threats to the Montenegrin health system in strategic government documents.
The departure of doctors from the public health system, despite higher salaries, also happens in other hospitals, so during this and last year KCCG left about twenty doctors, most of whom have decades of experience.
"Vijesti" interlocutors believe that the departure of renowned doctors is a huge loss for Montenegrin public health, but also that the irresponsible policy and incompetence of managers contributed to the outflow of the most experienced staff in previous years.
Migration of doctors mostly affects underdeveloped and developing countries, and the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that in the next ten years there will be a serious shortage of health workers in the world of about four million, including doctors and intermediate medical staff.
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