«Staffing levels are critical», — a member of the regional council stated that there is a shortage of medical staff in hospitals across the Mykolaiv region

The regional council discussed the reform of hospitals in the Mykolaiv region and the shortage of medical staff. Photo: NikVesti archive

Hospitals in the Mykolaiv region are short of medical staff, and some young specialists do not take up posts in the region’s hospitals after completing their internship.

Olena Masalitina, head of the infectious diseases department at the hospital in Pervomaisk and a regional council member representing the ‘EU’ faction, spoke about the issue during an online discussion of the draft plan for a resilient network in the Mykolaiv region at a meeting of the relevant regional council committee, NikVesti reports.

According to her, the staffing problem is now critical. And if, when establishing a capable network of hospitals, one simply determines which departments should operate in a particular facility but fails to provide them with doctors, the reform will not work.

«Our main problem right now is staffing. Staffing levels in hospitals are currently low; wherever you look, the situation is critical. You see how people in our country are talking about wanting to bring in specialists from the Philippines. Listen, let’s think about how we can make our own specialists want to stay,» said Olena Masalitina.

She points out that the problem begins as early as the training stage for young doctors. Some interns do not return to work at the healthcare facilities where they undertook their training after completing their studies.

Olena Masalitina believes that one way to attract medical staff could be to provide them with accommodation. However, she emphasised that this refers specifically to decent living conditions, not just a room somewhere on the hospital premises.

«What can we offer to attract young specialists? Housing. Proper housing, not accommodation on the premises of some department, simply in a small, disused room. That is not housing. Housing is precisely what should be provided to specialists. It doesn’t matter whether they are young specialists or not. Specialists who come and do their job to a high standard,» the MP noted.

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She cited additional payments to medical staff as another incentive. At the same time, Masalitina emphasised that local budgets are limited, and a few million hryvnias for a hospital do not solve the problem.

«What Tetiana Demchenko says — that they’ve given 5 million hryvnias — is completely meaningless. I mean, the local council — what, 5 million? That’s not much money. It sounds like a lot, but if we divide it between salaries, and salaries don’t change either, then it’s not enough,» explained Olena Masalitina.

She also highlighted the difference between the salaries on the payroll and the amount medical staff actually receive. According to her, doctors work multiple shifts, but even with such a heavy workload, their income remains low. The MP also mentioned nurses and junior medical staff.

Olena Masalitina believes that when establishing the network, consideration must also be given to the workload of different specialists.

«Surgeons, who are on their feet day and night, and anaesthetists — we owe them a deep bow. And who are we going to compare them to? General practitioners? Well, presumably they have different workloads,» she said.

Olena Masalitina also noted that her hospital effectively serves several districts in the region, so during the reorganisation of the healthcare network it is important not to create a situation where patients have to travel too far to receive the necessary care.

At the same time, the MP stated that she does not question the very necessity of clustering. According to her, the region should have super-cluster, cluster and general facilities, but each of them must be staffed by specialists.

«I have absolutely no reservations about clustering. It has to be done. It really must be done. There must be a supra-cluster facility, there must be cluster facilities, general facilities, and those that can be run by the city council or town councils. But without specialists, nobody has any power at all,» concluded Olena Masalitina.

It should be noted that medical facilities in the Mykolaiv region are short of 480 doctors. The region is in greatest need of GPs, anaesthetists, general practitioners and paediatricians.

The greatest shortage of staff is observed in rural communities. Among general hospitals, the Vradiivka Central District Hospital has the lowest staffing level — 36.9 per cent, the Bratske Hospital — 37.7 per cent, the Novo-Odesa General Hospital — 40 per cent, as well as healthcare facilities in Bereznehuvate, Ochakiv, Snihurivka and Arbuzynka, where fewer than half of the medical posts are filled.

The situation is similar in primary healthcare centres. The lowest figures are recorded in the communities of Buzke, Bratske, Kobleve, Arbuzynka, Nova Odesa and Kryve Ozero.

Two hundred places have been made available for junior doctors in the Mykolaiv region. However, only 44 graduates chose to work in the region due to various factors, including security concerns.