President Milanović Meets with Representatives of Croatian Family Physicians Coordination
The President of the Republic Zoran Milanović received in the Office of the President members of the Croatian Family Physicians Coordination (KoHOM), an association that brings together family, i.e. general practitioners.
The Croatian Family Physicians Coordination was founded in 2008 and today it is the largest professional association of family medicine with 811 members, which brings together some 40 percent of all family physicians in Croatia. The association is actively present in the public activities of Croatian healthcare in the field of family medicine, patient care and the medical profession itself, it was mentioned at the meeting. In particular, KoHOM representatives pointed out that they were motivated to associate and take public action by the personnel, financial and organizational shortages they face.
KoHOM representatives drew the President’s attention during the meeting to the systemic problems in the implementation of the Healthcare Act, especially due to the lack of family physicians and their increasingly old age. In the last two years, there was not a single specialization in family medicine, warned KoHOM representatives, adding that they consider this to be a direct threat to family medicine and to Croatia’s healthcare system in general.
Furthermore, KoHOM representatives expressed dissatisfaction with the current organizational state of family medicine and its status in society, as well as the situation in respect of the organization and equipment used in the primary healthcare system, and pointed out that they will continue to fight for higher quality, more accessible and more effective family medicine.
The delegation of the Croatian Family Physicians Coordination included President Nataša Ban Toskić, Secretary Zrinka Huđek Leskovar, KoHOM Executive Board member and one of the founders of KoHOM Vesna Potočki Rukavina and KoHOM Executive Board member Jadranka Karuza. Adviser to the President of the Republic for Education Jadranka Žarković was alongside President Milanović.
PHOTO: Office of the President of the Republic of Croatia / Filip Glas