Comparison of the Density of Physicians and General Practitioners in the Hungarian Csongrád-Csanád Country and in the Territorial Units of Vojvodina for the Period 2002-2020

Abstract

I will present the density of physicians and general practitioners (number of physicians/100 000 inhabitants, number of general practitioners/100 000 inhabitants) in the Hungarian CsongrádCsanád country (NUTS 3 statistical region) and the territorial units of Vojvodina, (NUTS 3 statistical regions), as one of the key indicators in the healthcare system. Vojvodina (NUTS 2 statistical region) is the Autonomous Province of Serbia, which includes 7 territorrial units (NUTS 3 statistical regions). I did this research for the period between 2002-2020 based on the official Hungarian and Serbian statistical data. As Hungarian Csongrád-Csanád country and Vojvodina are two neighbouring territories, such a comparison can provide us with important information on regional similarities and differences, as well as development perspectives in the future. Another important aspect is that there are discrepancies between Hungary and Serbia in terms of economic development and EU membership. However, both countries have undergone considerable economic and political changes in the last 15-20 years and, in this context, it might be important to examine and compare the development of their healthcare systems, including the density of physicians and general practitioners over this period. This research showed that, the density of physicians is higher in the Hungarian Csongrád-Csanád country compared to the territorial units of Vojvodina and this ratio has not changed in the examined period. However, by 2020 the GPs density in three terriotorial units of Vojvodina surpassed the GPs density in the Hungarian Csongrád-Csanád country, which can provide us with the conclusion, that the Serbian primary healthcare strengthening strategy might serve as explanation for this phenomenon.