Doctors of medicine and dentistry from Bosnia’s Federation (FBiH) entity, about 4,700 of them, announced a general strike if the FBiH Government and the Ministry of Health do not take concrete steps to solve the burning problems in this area by the end of the year.

The Head of the Federation of Professional Unions of Doctors of Medicine and Dentistry in FBiH, Marina Berberovic, said that if there is no response by December 31, she will file a discrimination lawsuit against the FBiH Government and the competent Ministry, which will be the first time that the union has sued the Government.

She noted that all 10 FBiH cantons have different collective agreements, which led to the fact that the salaries and other rights of doctors differ by up to 50 percent. According to her, this is precisely the reason why doctors are leaving small communities.

If the Government does not solve the problem, the Unions will announce a meeting of the Board of Directors immediately at the beginning of January next year, at which they will decide whether to proceed with another warning strike or whether a general strike will be scheduled immediately.