ZAGREB, Feb 12 (Hina) - Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) vice president and former health minister Andrija Hebrang has dismissed a weekly's claims that he is behind a four-week doctors strike and the president of the Croatian Doctors'
Union as "grave misinformation and open lies".
ZAGREB, Feb 12 (Hina) - Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) vice
president and former health minister Andrija Hebrang has dismissed
a weekly's claims that he is behind a four-week doctors strike and
the president of the Croatian Doctors' Union as "grave
misinformation and open lies". #L#
He told journalists in Zagreb on Tuesday the purpose of those lies
was to turn health insurees' discontent towards the HDZ.
The dissatisfaction should be directed at Prime Minister Ivica
Racan because "it is his social insensitivity and ignoring of
problems in the health sector over the past three years that has
made doctors disgruntled".
Hebrang said that when he held the post of health minister he had
monthly meetings with doctors' unions whereas the former and
incumbent ministers, as well as Racan, had not received them in
three years.
He added he had prepared a collective agreement with the unions that
had been valid for four years without major complaints but that the
new authorities, coming into power in 2000, did not extend it
because it had been moved by the HDZ.
The incumbent authorities have not come up with a new collective
agreement in three years, which has totally deprived health workers
of their rights, including salary cuts of 15 percent, said
Hebrang.
Incumbent Health Minister Andro Vlahusic "is doing everything to
degrade the medical profession in the eyes of the public by accusing
doctors of not wanting to work," he said.
Hebrang also stated he had not met with Croatian Doctors' Union
leader Ivica Babic since leaving the ministerial post.
(hina) ha