Letter of Support for the Junior Doctors Initiative Protest in Croatia

The European Junior Doctors Association (EJD) supports the Croatian junior doctor protest on September 24th 2022, organized by an initiative of Croatian junior doctors supported by the Croatian Medical Chamber (CMC), Croatian Medical Union (CMU) and doctors' associations.

The protests emerge from a deep dissatisfaction regarding several important aspects of the way healthcare is organized and provided in Croatia.

Together with other healthcare professions junior doctors are front line providers of healthcare in Croatia. With the increasing pressure of an aging population and the rising demand for healthcare, in the context of economical restraints, it is inevitable that the healthcare system needs to adjust.

The Croatian junior doctors demand a reform of the healthcare system that improves care for all patients and secures better working conditions for junior doctors and all healthcare workers to ensure quality care now and in the future.

Reform to postgraduate medical training (PGT) is required to ensure the ongoing provision of highly trained specialists in Croatia. The lack of training standardization, quality control, mentorship, digital documentation and timely revision of specialist exams are a few examples of elements of PGT that are in dire need of review as they jeopardize high-quality care in the future. As the experts for the profession, CMC must be leading the change process to reform medical PGT in Croatia.

Additionally, and essentially, no decision about the medical profession should occur without the medical profession. The overall share of doctor’s representatives in negotiations for professional collective agreements and other aspects related to the medical profession should be equal and assured by doctor’s organizations. Therefore, EJD supports the Croatian colleagues on their demands that the Croatian Medical Unions/Medical Organizations should be the ones with the sole responsibility of representing doctors in these matters.

EJD supports the colleagues from Croatia regarding their legitimate demands to improve patient care, working conditions, PGT conditions and adequate representation in negotiations concerning the profession. Decision makers are asked to respond properly to the call of the Croatian junior doctors and initiate serious negotiations on how to achieve their demands.