KUPREŠAK: SRPSKA SET TO HAVE INDEPENDENT VOICE IN GLOBAL FAMILY MEDICINE BODY

BANJA LUKA, APRIL 10 /SRNA/ – The Association of Family Medicine Doctors of Republika Srpska is expected to gain independent voting rights within the World Organization of Family Doctors as of June, which will also carry political significance, as Srpska's voice will be heard among 40 countries and 280,000 members, the association's president Draško Kuprešak told SRNA.

"We are part of this association and have raised the issue of independent decision-making. Amendments to the association’s statute are being prepared, and our delegate took part in the work of that body two months ago," Kuprešak said. Speaking in SRNA's podcast, Kuprešak noted that since 2010 the association has pointed out that the "one vote - one state" principle was not appropriate, as many associations within the global body were autonomous in their work but had no voting rights. "We highlighted this issue, prepared amendments, and persisted in our efforts, and that provision has now been included in the association's statute. I expect a final decision in June, after which the Association of Srpska will be fully independent in decision-making, with its own vote," Kuprešak emphasized. He assessed that the increase in healthcare salaries is a significant step forward that will improve the position of healthcare workers in Republika Srpska, but also stressed that addressing the shortage of family medicine specialists is necessary for a higher-quality system. "This is a major step forward for all healthcare workers, especially in the context of expectations for another increase announced for September, which indicates continuity of sound decisions based on economic capabilities," Kuprešak said. According to him, Republika Srpska currently has around 300 family medicine specialists, which is insufficient for the system’s needs. "That represents about 40 to 45 percent of the total number of doctors working in primary healthcare, which is not enough and could pose a problem in terms of the quality of healthcare services," Kuprešak said. The new SRNA podcast featuring the president of the Association of Family Medicine Doctors of Republika Srpska and director of the Čelinac Health Center, Draško Kuprešak, will be available tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. to service users, on social media, and on the SRNA YouTube channel.