Due to the lack of specialist doctors, half of the 19 specialists in the Majdanpeč General Hospital are currently retired, that is, doctors who are preparing for retirement. It often happens that there is no one to examine the patients. Majdanpek is no exception, the acute shortage of doctors and nurses plagues many cities throughout Serbia
Due to the shortage of specialist doctors in Majdanpek General the hospital has been present for many years.
"Currently, out of 19 specialists in our health institution, half of them are retirees, that is, doctors who are preparing for retirement." The only way to solve this problem is to find systemic solutions at the state level," says Dr. Marko Radulović, Acting Director of the Majdanpeč Hospital.Radio Television Bor".
Although similar problems are faced by other health institutions in Serbia in smaller areas such as Majdanpečka, the situation is getting worse because few decide to continue working in smaller hospitals in the province after completing specialization.
Nobody comes back.
The Acting Director of the Majdanpeč Hospital adds that 11 doctors of this clinic are undergoing specialization, but that the most pressing problem is that almost none of them return to their hometown.
"We are going round and round and the problem is repeating itself... I hope that the Minister of Health and the executive power will find a solution to these chronic problems in all of Serbia and that the lack of staff will be solved systematically," stressed Radulović.
Doctors in Majdanpek say that soon there will be no one to treat the citizens, because the situation is getting very bad.
The fact that when patients go for an examination at Majdanpek General Hospital, they don't know if they will even find a specialist doctor tells about the everyday life of citizens who need an examination.
What do the citizens say?
"I am a heart patient, I was operated on 13 years ago, so as soon as I hear that there is no internist, I am afraid of what will happen to us," says one of the patients.
"There is no endocrinologist working in Negotin, there are no appointments, and now the doctor from Milanovac is giving a referral here." There is no doctor," adds another patient.
It is not easier for doctors either. Dr. Dragoslav Aleksić, although retired, is the only pediatrician in this hospital.
He claims to achieve everything, but also that a twenty-four-hour standby for several months would burden everyone.
"The cooperation is good, I have good conditions to work, there is everything I need to do my job properly," states Primario Dr. Dragoslav Aleksić, a pediatrician from Leskovac.
They don't have a single doctor in the ophthalmology department, intensive care is not working due to a lack of nurses, and several other departments could close soon because seven specialists have announced their departure, and four from specialization will probably not return. Željka Pavlović Pobrić is one of the few who will return to her hometown after her specialization.
"Through this, I am appealing to the leaders of the Ministry of Health to give some privileges, certain types of stimulation, to the doctors who would come here to work, to pay a separate life for the doctors on specialization", emphasizes radiology specialist Željka Pavlović Pobrić.
Population decline
According to the data of the first census in the 21st century, the municipality of Majdanpeč had 2002 inhabitants in 23.703, and 18.686 inhabitants nine years later in the next census. The first results of the census conducted in October showed that the number of inhabitants in this municipality is still decreasing, now it is less than 15 thousand.
It is not a consolation that, according to the published data, in each of the municipalities of the Bor district, the number of inhabitants has decreased compared to the previous census in 2011, because despite this, the municipality of Majdanpeč has the smallest number of inhabitants, households and apartments.
In the municipality of Majdanpek, according to the 2011 census, even more than half of families with children have only one child, about 30 percent of families have two children, and the percentage of families with three or more children is negligible.
Apart from the decrease in the number of inhabitants, this area is also affected by the aging process.
Pollution
A special problem in this city is enormous pollution. Experts say that Majdanpek is an example of systemic destruction of the environment.
The biggest single polluter is certainly the biggest local industry, the former state-owned Mining and Smelting Basin Bor (RTB), which was taken over by the company Ziđin Kuper in 2018.
While representatives of the local and republican authorities point out that with the increase in production, the number of employees also increases, rightly emphasizing that Majdanpek depends on the mine, former RTB employees as well as the opposition warn that it is not known how much and in which direction the mines in Majdanpek are allowed to are spreading, because key documents are not available to the public, and there is no spatial plan for special purpose areas.
Activists and opposition parties warn that the state is pretending to be blind to the problems of endangering the environment, and that it is especially looking down on Chinese investors in this regard.
The massacre that shook Serbia in 2023 received a legally binding epilogue - the Court of Appeal in Belgrade confirmed the sentence of 20 years in prison for Uroš Blažić, as well as for his father Radiša Blažić. Defense appeals were rejected as unfounded
A conference dedicated to the fight against violence against women was held in Belgrade, with the message that breaking the silence is the first step towards change. Representatives of institutions, international organizations and the private sector spoke about legislative frameworks, challenges in the field and the need for systemic and continuous support for women and children who survived violence.
At the session scheduled for June 25, the Senate of the University of Belgrade will consider the proposal that the academic year 2025/26. year will start on November 1, while the current year would be extended until October 31. This decision is related to the expectation that the Government of Serbia will adopt budget quotas for the enrollment of new students by the end of June
"Stolna-Pistak", one of the largest Vinča settlements in the south of Serbia, is threatened by the expansion of the landfill and landfill in Aleksinac
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Can the students and the opposition make up for 51 votes in the repeated elections at polling station number 25 in Kosjerić? Is it an impossible mission or another attempt that changes everything
The Serbian Government elected the commander of the "White Eagles", Dragoslav Bokan, as the president of the Board of Directors of the National Theater. Why not read "Aco Serbs" instead of "Your hands are bloody"?
What will Vučić do when his second presidential term expires in 2027. The Constitution does not provide for a third. Maybe he won't go into political retirement
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