Czech Republic losing medical workers to neighboring countries<\/em><\/p>
According to Radio Prague, when leaving their jobs, medical workers go not only for higher pay but also in hopes of better working conditions. "The main reason is greater freedom of choice. I mean that thanks to a high salary, a person, for example, does not have to take out a mortgage, or can quit if they see fit, without fear of being left almost immediately without a means of subsistence," explained the reason for his move to Dresden, 32-year-old Czech anesthesiologist Otakar Malek.<\/p>
Along with adequate pay, having free time to distribute between family, friends, and hobbies is important for this doctor, a shortage of which his colleagues in the Czech Republic acutely feel. On average, Otakar Malek currently works 50 hours a week, but weekend shifts occur only once a month, unlike work in a Czech hospital, where many doctors suffer from professional burnout due to overwork.<\/p>
At the end of 2010, 422 doctors from the Czech Republic worked in Germany; by December of last year, the number of Czech medical professionals who had moved to the neighboring country had grown to 921, according to the Federal Medical Chamber (BÄK).<\/p>
The Czech Republic, as Radio Prague has repeatedly reported, is trying to fill the shortage of doctors (with about a thousand vacancies in this area, roughly the same number of Czech medical staff employed in Germany) by attracting medical workers from abroad. Last year, for example, the Czech Medical Chamber mediated the recruitment of 400 foreign medical professionals. However, even this influx is not a solution to the current crisis.<\/p>
Only a radical increase in salaries can stop the brain drain, representatives of the Czech Medical Chamber believe, warning as early as March that under conditions of deviation from normal working conditions and constant overtime, doctors simply cannot guarantee a high level of medical care.<\/p>
In 2015, 41,292 doctors worked in the Czech healthcare sector, 561 more than in 2014. Nevertheless, regional differences in medical staff numbers persist. The most doctors and nurses work in Prague, the fewest in the Karlovy Vary Region. According to the Medical Chamber, Czech hospitals still have a shortage of medical personnel. However, according to statistics, the number of nurses also increased last year – by 406. Currently, 83,258 nurses work in Czech medical institutions. Overall, in 2015, 212,720 people worked in the Czech healthcare sector, 3,278 more than in 2014.<\/p>
Earlier, during a visit to one of the country's hospitals, Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka said that the government plans to increase medical workers' salaries by 10% over three years. From January 2017, the 10% increase will affect hospitals with a tariff salary grid, which includes faculty hospitals and some regional hospitals. According to the prime minister, Health Minister Svatopluk Nemecek submitted a draft to the government proposing a 10% increase in doctors' salaries over the next three years.<\/p>