March 29, 2023 - Croatian doctors have announced a strike. Mirjana Livojevic, a doctor from the hospital in Sisak, recalls the last doctors' strike. It was ten years ago when she started working on her own. In ten years, she concludes, some things have remained the same, some have changed for the better, but some still have not. She said the strike could not wait, called Plenkovic out, and listed four demands the doctors would not give up on.

Index reports the conversation from RTL Direkt.

So you've definitely decided that a strike is the next step?

"Yes, I must say that we are certainly going on strike; we have not agreed on the exact date and form in detail," she said.

Is it a unique decision of all associations?

"It is a unique decision of all five umbrella associations in healthcare and all members at the meeting," she stated.

When is the earliest date?

"We cannot give exact dates because that decision will be made by the assembly of the Croatian Medical Union; they have the only right to do so. The assembly was previously scheduled for May 13, but that date is quite far away, so it is likely that an extraordinary assembly will be convened, which will then arrange a date," the doctor said.

"We will not wait for a decision on the strike," she added.

What is the legal procedure, a strike in the healthcare system must take place so that patients' health is not endangered in any way, right?

"That's right; our profession is very specific. For us, the patient always was and always will be in the first place. We will find a way to fight for our rights so that no one is endangered," she stated.

Doctors went on strike ten years ago during the SDP government, and they were introduced a work obligation, do you fear this will happen now?

"That was when I just started working. I remember that strike and the introduction of work obligations. Ten years have passed, things have changed a lot, some for the better, some for the worse, and some have remained the same, and that's one big reason why we are forced to go on strike. We were not heard," she said.

You held a protest ten days ago. Have you met with Minister Beros since then?

"Absolutely no one from the Ministry contacted us. We asked both before the protest and during for a meeting with the government. We were ignored by the Prime Minister and all government members, including Beros, who is in charge of the department and who should be the most interested," she said.

"I saw somewhere that Plenkovic and Beros met and that the prime minister authorized him to continue the talks," she claimed.

Are you calling on Plenkovic to solve the problem?

"We have been calling on him since the protest," she said.

No effect?

"It's not very nice to ignore people. On the one hand, they ignore you; on the other hand, they say they're open," she believes.

What would have to happen to call off the strike?

"The demands that are clear and simple should be met. The four demands that we have been repeating since September," the doctor said.

Compromise?

"We are not giving up on the four demands. Perhaps we can compromise within each, but none will be given up," she said.

Example?

"If it comes to that, and it will, after the formal announcement of the strike, there is a period called the conciliation process where the ministry will have the opportunity to express their ideas, where the unions will express theirs, then we can talk and agree on a compromise. We have days to resolve it, which is the period to resolve the situation so there is no strike. It depends on what they are ready to do, not to promise or establish a working group, but to do it," she concluded.

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated News section.