Position of Primary Care Physicians in Central and Eastern European Countries

In the postwar period, Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries developed health systems based on the Semashko model. It focuses on the development of hospital care and secondary health care, completely ignoring primary care and the role of primary care physicians in the system. For more than 20 years, CEE countries have been trying to reinstitute the due position of family physicians and primary care. The aim of this article is to determine the position of primary care physicians in the health care system, and to compare the availability of basic health services in Central and Eastern European countries. CEE countries have low spending on health care compared to Western European countries. Family doctors play the role of gatekeepers for access to more specialist and expensive health care. Despite family medicine education, there is a shortage of primary care physicians, especially in rural areas. There are barriers to access and continuity of health care. Primary health care systems in CEE countries can be characterized as weak systems.

Abstract licence: CC BY-NC-ND

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