VLEN: Pledge to Integrate 600 Medical Residents into Public Healthcare Fulfilled

The pledge to bring 600 privately funded medical residents into the public healthcare system is being put into action, VLEN MP Kaltrina Beqiri said after the government decided to employ a second group of 300 young doctors.

At a press conference, Beqiri announced that the 300 residents in the first group have already been integrated into public healthcare. According to her, procedures for the 300 doctors in the second group are expected to be completed by the end of this year.

Beqiri described this as an important development for the 300 young doctors who began their specialist training at their own expense and will now be integrated into the public healthcare system.

According to the MP, hospitals that have faced shortages of specialist staff for years will also benefit from this process. Priority will be given to general and clinical hospitals outside Skopje, as well as specialties in which the need for doctors is greatest.

She said this step is particularly important for residents of Tetovo, Gostivar, Kičevo, Struga and other municipalities, who are often forced to travel to Skopje to receive specialist services.

Beqiri stressed that, alongside infrastructure projects in the healthcare sector, strengthening human resources remains a priority. In this context, she cited the €74 million investment in Tetovo Clinical Hospital and the move to pave the way for the construction of a new hospital in Kičevo.

The VLEN MP emphasized that buildings and equipment alone are not enough for hospitals, as they also need doctors. She said the pledge to employ 600 medical residents had been made and was now being fulfilled.