Šimun: We are doing everything to retain doctors

The Ministry of Health is doing everything it can to retain doctors, said the relevant Minister Vojislav Šimun, stating that there are 280 more doctors working in the healthcare system compared to 2019, and that the number of nurses has increased.

In the Parliament, responding to a question from Democratic Party of Socialists MP Elvira Zvrk about the lack of medical staff, Šimun said that the number of doctors in the public healthcare system is most reliable from the statistics of the Health Fund (FZO).

"In addition to doctors who are on permanent contracts, it also includes foreign doctors and those with fixed-term contracts, and amounts to 2.125. Today, that is about 150 more doctors than when I became minister, and 280 more doctors than in 2019," said Šimun.

According to him, the number of nurses has also increased by 1.238.

Šimun, speaking about the departure of the doctors, said that it was important to specify where they went.

"From 2023 to 2025, the Clinical Center of Montenegro (KCCG) gained 90 doctors, 65 left - but where? Over a third retired, about 15 went to another public health institution, several passed away, and about 20 went to private health institutions, they did not leave Montenegro," added Šimun.

Šimun said that they are also working on decentralization and trying to keep young doctors in their home institutions.

He said that in the last three years, more specializations and subspecializations have been announced than in the period 2014-2019.

Speaking about waiting lists, Šimun said that there are numerous improvements, but that in some cases they are limited in terms of staff, in others in terms of space and equipment, and in others it is a matter of organization.

Responding to a question from Democratic MP Albin Ćeman about the construction of a new university clinical center in Podgorica, he said that this health institution is necessary for Montenegro and recalled that the KCCG was built over 50 years ago.

"It is clear that with the migration of the population and the development of branches of medicine, the KCCG could not meet the spatial capacity to be a university hospital," said Šimun.

He said that Montenegro is the only country in the region that does not have a university hospital and announced that the main project can be expected by the end of the year, and the start of work at the beginning of the next.

"We will have 24 observation positions with communication with modern rooms. The maternity ward will be transferred to the new university center. We will have a modern physical and a new children's hospital. The work is being done to start the work in 2027, and to complete the entire process by 2031," added Šimun.

The project, as Šimun stated, is worth over 300 million euros.

Responding to a question from European Union MP Boris Mugoš about pediatricians' on-call duty, Šimun said that these doctors were overloaded.

"However, due to the highly sensitive population, it was organized for doctors from health centers (DZ) and KCCG to work together to relieve the burden on doctors from KCCG, and at the same time, it is one on-call duty for which they are paid several hundred euros for one on-call duty," said Šimun.

He added that these on-call services are a new value for the youngest and their parents.

"We are relieving the burden on doctors in the department and reducing burnout. The health system is unique, where there are shortcomings we must join forces. We will also try to train the emergency medical service with pediatricians," said Šimun.

Speaking about the gynecologist who left the Montenegrin public healthcare system, he said that the Ministry's instruction was for management to talk to her and see if she wanted additional engagement.

"Even the Ministry of Health regulations have been changed to allow her to engage in additional work," said Šimun.

He said they are doing everything they can to keep the doctors.

"Yes, everything has been done, you also have the statement from the Health Ministry. The doctor also moved from Nikšić to Podgorica, and she has now moved to the private healthcare system. We have done everything, and we are doing everything for every doctor to keep them," said Šimun.

Responding to a question from the MP of the Europe Movement, Dan Marković, about the situation at the Simo Milošević Institute, he said that this health institution is one of the most significant and the only one of its kind in the region and that it is a fact that it is riddled with numerous problems.

He said that they inherited an inadequate solution and that the Government formed an interdepartmental commission to deal with the restructuring of the hospital.

Šimun said that the Health Insurance Fund and the majority shareholder of the Institute each paid five million euros and that the account was then unblocked and the main existential threat was removed.

"We didn't stop there, we have embarked on a restructuring plan and it is a key document for the further development of the Institute, and the further restructuring process is being managed by the commission I chair," said Šimun.

He stated that in two rounds of additional subscriptions, 138 thousand shares were issued and 21 million euros were collected.

Šimun said that the increased price for funded patients also further enabled the financial solvency of the Institute, which, he added, ended last year in a multi-million profit.

"The essential difference compared to 2023 and 2024 is that we now have an Institute that is developing and has a perspective. With adequate policy, using all knowledge, a quality solution has been created that has given the Institute a chance to put it on its feet after an unsuccessful privatization and that it now has a healthy perspective," said Šimun.

He said that investments of 60 million euros are planned, including the renovation of certain blocks, the expansion of accommodation capacities, and the enrichment of services.

"We are working to restore the trust of the international market, especially to bring back the Norwegians who were once regular guests, I think we have retained what is more valuable - the staff," said Šimun.

Responding to a question from Bosniak Party MP Edina Dešić about the complicated procedures a patient must go through to schedule an appointment, he said that it is inevitable that one has to go from one doctor to another.

"That path itself is a consequence of several factors, the most important of which is inadequate digitalization, which must enable the linking of institutions," said Šimun.

He announced the integration of the laboratory information system between the DZ and hospitals.

Šimun also announced that the selected doctors will deal with more complex pathologies.

Responding to a question from Croatian Civic Initiative MP Adrijan Vuksanović about relations between Croatia and Montenegro from a healthcare perspective, Šimun said that institutional cooperation is at a fairly good level and that in communication with his Croatian colleague he has always encountered understanding for the needs of both the citizens of Montenegro and the entire system.

Šimun stated that a boy from the north recently had a heart transplant in Zagreb.

He said that Montenegro has good cooperation with Croatia through the "EU for Health" program, and that the patient care project, which is being implemented in the Podgorica Health Center, is being implemented in coordination with the Croatian healthcare system.