Kvalitet zdravstvene zaštite u Republici Srbiji - koncept kome i dalje težimo

Abstract

Like all other fields, quality - and recently, excellence - are goals that healthcare strives for. The World Health Organisation defines the concept of quality of care as the "the degree to which health services for individuals and populations increase the likelihood of desired health outcomes". Thus defined, healthcare quality means that the healthcare service provided should be effective and efficient, safe and patient-oriented, provided in a timely manner, just and integrated. Countries around the world have committed to achieving the goals of the "Health for All" strategy, thus accepting healthcare quality as both their obligation, and as their goal. The concept of healthcare quality in the Republic of Serbia was developed on the foundations of the previous system, characterised in a high level of socialized healthcare, available free of charge to all age and social groups, grounded in the principles that the World Health Organisation recognises as essential principles in its documents. Strong primary healthcare is the corner stone of this system. Years of war, accompanied by economic and political sanctions, have impacted all sectors in the Republic of Serbia, including the healthcare sector, which was quite shaken. In 2000, a new reform of the healthcare system was launched, and already in 2004 public health institutes began implementing activities aimed at improving the quality of healthcare and patient safety, as part of the program of the Ministry of Health entitled "Monitoring the quality of work in healthcare institutions in the Republic of Serbia" and in line with the "Instruction on monitoring the quality of work in healthcare institutions". Years of investments into healthcare capacities and human resources followed, together with the definition of a legislative framework for quality monitoring. The Ministry of Health and the Institute of Public Health of Serbia "Dr Milan Jovanović Batut", together with the network of public health institutes, have adopted a set of multisector, strategic and planning documents and coordinated program implementation at all levels of health care. Many activities were implemented, and according to the Euro Health Consumer Index (EHCI), from 2012 to 2018, the healthcare system in the Republic of Serbia has significantly improved its quality. In 2018, with regards to quality, Serbia was awarded the title of the climber of the year. COVID-19 pandemic put the Serbian healthcare system before new challenges, and requirements related to quality maintenance and improvement have become even more complex. In these circumstances, provision of high-quality healthcare on all levels remains a value we keep striving for, emphasizing the leverages of total healthcare quality management that will truly be oriented towards a satisfied patient.