OSIJEK, 11 June (Hina) - The Croatian Health Minister Andrija Hebrang on Wednesday held talks in Osijek city hospital with the heads and presidents of administrative boards of health centres from the Croatian Danube river region, who
have been working in exile for six years.
SERVICES IN DANUBE RIVER REGION
OSIJEK, 11 June (Hina) - The Croatian Health Minister Andrija Hebrang on
Wednesday held talks in Osijek city hospital with the heads and
presidents of administrative boards of health centres from the Croatian
Danube river region, who have been working in exile for six years. #L#
The talks, which were also attended by the representatives of
Osijek County health centres, focused on the reintegration of health
services in the Croatian Danube river region into Croatia's health
system.
A Parliament member and local Serb representative, Vojislav
Stanimirovic, had also been invited to the talks, but he failed to show
up.
At a press conference held after the talks, Hebrang expressed
dissatisfaction with the course of reintegration of health services.
Representatives of the Health Ministry have still not been allowed
to visit health centres in the U.N.-administered area and estimate the
situation in them, Hebrang said.
Without that, the reintegration of health services cannot start, he
said, adding that the health centres in question are General Hospital
and Health Centre in Vukovar, Health Centre in Beli Manastir and County
Institute for Public Health.
Less than 50% of the local population have taken Croatian health
cards. Urgent help will be given to everyone, but complete health
protection will be given only to those who have Croatian health cards,
Hebrang said.
The Croatian Danube river region needed some 800 health workers,
the Health Minister said, recalling that 400 exiled health workers could
certainly count on the continuation of service in the Danube river
region.
Among some 1,000 health workers in the Danube river region who
expressed wish to continue working after the reintegration of the local
health services in the Croatian health system, there were many who did
not have adequate education and did not meet employment requirements,
Hebrang said. Those workers would be offered additional education and
validation of diplomas, Hebrang said.
"The most important thing for us is to have direct negotiations,
and that is still missing," Hebrang said, adding that the local Serbs
still did not recognise legal heads and presidents of health centres'
administrative councils.
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