The Civil Servants and Public Employees Union "Together" confirmed on Friday that a strike by healthcare workers will begin on Monday. Hospitals will only carry out emergency procedures, while diagnostic procedures and scheduled appointments will not be carried out.

“From Monday, all diagnostic procedures, radiotherapy and nuclear medicine will be cancelled,” Adriana Lukacevic from the “Together union” confirmed on Friday.

The union, which represents around 4,000 members, had previously announced that they would go on strike due to their dissatisfaction with salary coefficients and working conditions, accusing the government of ignoring their problems.

“Only emergency examinations will be carried out”

“I am sorry for the patients in oncology and those waiting for MRIs, but we see no other way out. We will not be doing MRIs, X-rays, mammograms, PET-CT scans, radiotherapy or oncology patient planning,” Lukacevic said.

“Only emergency examinations will be carried out,” union confirmed. The reason for the strike is the dissatisfaction with the salary coefficients and the lack of understanding of the Ministry of Health and the government for the concerns of the employees.

“Oncological patients are not considered emergencies. Only patients whose lives are in immediate danger fall into this category,” said union representatives at a press conference. “From Monday, no patients will be admitted.”

The union had previously confirmed that no one from the Ministry of Health had contacted them for talks.

They assured that all emergency patients and urgent medical interventions would continue to be treated.