ZAGREB, September 16, 2018 - The deans of Croatia's four medical schools have expressed their concern about unofficial announcements that three more medical schools could be established in the country, and warned that setting up new tertiary education institutions of this kind required a strategy to show if such a move was justifiable.
The dean of the Medical School at Rijeka University Tomislav Rukavina has told a news conference that there have been announcements that the University of Pula will set up a medical school and that there are hints that medical schools might be established as part of the Catholic University in Zagreb and the Varaždin-based University North.
Rukavina said that so far existing faculties and tertiary education institutions have assisted in the process of establishment of similar faculties, providing them with the know-how and experts. However, none of the existing four medical schools have to date been contacted about the possibility of setting up a new medical school in Croatia, he said.
The dean of Zagreb's Medical School Marijan Klarica has said that it is important to draw up a strategy that would identify the needs concerning the demand for medical professionals.
According to data collected by the Croatian Medical Chamber (HLK), over the next 10 years, 4,000 doctors will go into retirement. Currently, 550 students graduate from the four medical schools, which means that over the next 10 years, Croatia will get some 5,500 newly graduated physicians, which will satisfy the demand.
Klarica also pointed to the lack of professors and lecturers at the medical schools in Zagreb, Rijeka, Split and Osijek.
