Findings of a survey conducted by five associations of doctors in Croatia show a huge dissatisfaction of physicians in the country, the Croatian Medical Chamber (HLK) reported on Wednesday, presenting the outcome of the survey in a press release.

Apart from the HLK, also the Croatian Doctors’ Union (HLS), Croatian Association of Hospital Doctors (HUBOL), the KOHOM association of family doctors, and the Initiative of Young Doctors conducted the survey among more than 14,000 members, and 5,700 of them (41 percent) answered the survey, which the HLK described as high turnout.

Of those 5,700 respondents, the lion’s share (97%) express dissatisfaction with their status at workplace. Furthermore, 94% are in favour of protest actions.

The press release reads that 73% of the respondents prefer organising a protest rally, and 61% of those who answered the survey say they are ready to go on strike.

The umbrella associations will decide on further moves by the end of this week, says the HLK.

The HLK points out that the outcome of the survey highlights doctors’ resentment that has been built up by work overload, poor working conditions and inefficient management of the healthcare system and decline in primary healthcare.

The associations accuse the ministry of keeping ignoring doctors’ demands.

They say that the health ministry has met only one of the demands which they presented at their meeting last summer and that was the representation of the doctors’ union.

Some of the demands are the harmonisation of job complexity indices and an increase of 10% in pay grade index for doctors undergoing specialist training.