Healthcare in

Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin and the Balkans. It shares land borders with Hungar ...

is delivered by means of a

universal health care Universal health care (also called universal health coverage, universal coverage, or universal care) is a health care system in which all residents of a particular country or region are assured access to health care. It is generally organized ar ...

system.

Current system

The healthcare system is managed by the National Health Insurance Fund (RFZO), which covers all citizens and permanent residents. All employees, self-employed persons, and pensioners must pay contributions to it. Contributions are based on a sliding scale, with wealthier members of society paying higher percentages of their income. Despite this, corruption still remains a serious problem due to low salaries, with many doctors demanding bribes in exchange for better treatment, although there is a major campaign against corruption from the government and NGOs. As of 2014, the expenditure on health care in

was 10.37% of

GDP Gross domestic product (GDP) is a monetary measure of the market value of all the final goods and services produced and sold (not resold) in a specific time period by countries. Due to its complex and subjective nature this measure is ofte ...

in 2014, US$1,312 per capita. Also, as of 2014, Serbia had 308 doctors per 100,000 people (360 per 100,000 people was European Union (EU) average), 628 non-doctoral medical staff per 100,000 people (1,199 per 100,000 people was EU average). Although there is a trend of decreasing number of hospital beds per 100,000 people in Europe due to better efficiency and diagnostics, Serbia is among countries in Europe with 552 hospital beds per 100,000 people. In terms of the availability of medical equipment, Serbia is slightly trailing behind the average of EU countries. The Government of Serbia is working with the

World Bank The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and grants to the governments of low- and middle-income countries for the purpose of pursuing capital projects. The World Bank is the collective name for the Inte ...

in improving the quality and efficiency of Serbia's healthcare system.

Changes in the Healthcare system

In the past few decades, there have been numerous changes in the healthcare system that were set up when Serbia was a part of SFR Yugoslavia. During those years, healthcare was free but practically unavailable to all people, there were no fixed prices, and services were often abused. Today, reforms have mandated but failed to implement a basic level of health services for all people, but at varying levels or

co-payment A copayment or copay (called a gap in Australian English) is a fixed amount for a covered service, paid by a patient to the provider of service before receiving the service. It may be defined in an insurance policy and paid by an insured person ea ...

. Services not covered may be supplemented by

private insurance Insurance is a means of protection from financial loss in which, in exchange for a fee, a party agrees to compensate another party in the event of a certain loss, damage, or injury. It is a form of risk management, primarily used to hedge ...

. Current concerns in the field of Serbian healthcare, as reported by the medical staff providing care, are poor funding for primary care, inadequate equipment and supplies, inadequate salaries, and inadequate continuing medical education. Overall, the recent healthcare reforms have tried to change the emphasis from curative to preventive care. In 2014, the Chairperson of "Doctors Against Corruption" has been appointed a Special Adviser to the Ministry of Health. There was publication of List of Licensed Medical Practitioners In October 2015 on the Serbian Medical Chamber's website which wasn't previously accessible to the citizens

Legislation

The Health Protection Act and the Health Insurance Act came into force on 11 April 2019. There is a list of health institutions that cannot be privately owned: * emergency medical assistance, * provision of blood and blood products, * harvesting, preservation and transplantation of human organs and parts of human bodies, * production of serums and vaccines, * pathoanatomy and autopsy * forensic medicine service A Register of Health Institutions is to be established by the Agency for Business Registers of Serbia by 11 October 2020. A common waiting list system is to be established. Patients are obliged to submit to targeted preventive examinations. If they fail to undergo a mandatory screening without justification they have to contribute a maximum 35% of the total cost of health services if they are diagnosed before the next screening cycle begins. Gifts worth more than 5% of the average monthly net salary in Serbia to health professionals are outlawed.

Culture of healthcare in Serbia

Self care Self-care has been defined as the process of establishing behaviors to ensure holistic well-being of oneself, to promote health, and to actively management of illness when it occurs. Individuals engage in some form of self-care daily with foo ...

is mainly practiced when a patient is already ill versus as a preventive measure. Care is usually sought from healthcare professionals such as

doctor Doctor or The Doctor may refer to: Personal titles * Doctor (title), the holder of an accredited academic degree * A medical practitioner, including: ** Physician ** Surgeon ** Dentist ** Veterinary physician ** Optometrist *Other roles ** ...

s or

nurse Nursing is a profession within the health care sector focused on the care of individuals, families, and communities so they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life. Nurses may be differentiated from other health c ...

s where bribes are commonly expected, but some folk medications are used such as

tea Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by pouring hot or boiling water over cured or fresh leaves of ''Camellia sinensis'', an evergreen shrub native to East Asia which probably originated in the borderlands of southwestern China and north ...

vinegar Vinegar is an aqueous solution of acetic acid and trace compounds that may include flavorings. Vinegar typically contains 5–8% acetic acid by volume. Usually, the acetic acid is produced by a double fermentation, converting simple sugars to eth ...

, herbs, and

vitamin A vitamin is an organic molecule (or a set of molecules closely related chemically, i.e. vitamers) that is an essential micronutrient that an organism needs in small quantities for the proper functioning of its metabolism. Essential nutrie ...

s. Changes in activity levels such as more rest or increased exercise are sometimes used as curative measures for illness, and perceived causes of illness may be improper

diet Diet may refer to: Food * Diet (nutrition), the sum of the food consumed by an organism or group * Dieting, the deliberate selection of food to control body weight or nutrient intake ** Diet food, foods that aid in creating a diet for weight loss ...

or fate.Hjelm et al., 1999 Hjelm, Bard, Nyberg, and Apelqvist (2005) state that most former Yugoslavians feel health is not the absence of disease, but rather it is “wealth and the most important thing in life…to have enough strength” (p. 51).

References

External links

Ministry of Health of Serbia
{{Healthcare in Europe