UDZS: Shortage of GPs in Slovakia Alarming

Bratislava, July 9 (TASR) - The situation regarding the provision of outpatient health care is alarming, as active doctors are at an advanced age, and the number of patients without a GP went up in late 2023, the Office for Supervision of Health Care (UDZS) warned in its latest report. "Physicians who are still working are at an advanced age. Many are so exhausted that they're closing down their practices, even though there's no one to replace them. This state of affairs is evident particularly in remote regions. Hence, patients are being left without a GP and are forced to travel dozens of kilometres to see a new doctor," reads the report. In early 2023, the health-care sector faced a shortage of 713 GPs. "The current state of affairs is all the more alarming in that 41 percent of GPs for adults and 47 percent of GPs for children and youth are past retirement age," warns the text. If no measures are taken to redress the issue, access to health care might worsen, stated UDZS. By the end of 2023, about 281,000 policy-holders had no GP. "Their numbers grew by more than 15,000 year-on-year," added UDZS. mf/df