State plans to deal with shortage of psychiatrists

Slovakia has a shortage of psychiatrists as there are more than 15 hospital beds in medical facilities per physician; too many according to the Health Ministry, which also suggested a solution. The department expects general practitioners and psychologists to participate in the treatment of non-serious mental disorders. Slovakia could reach a sufficient number of doctors within ten years. The ministry plans to assess the current state of human resources and draw up standards for the optimal number of health care professionals in individual departments. The number of hospitalisations in psychiatric wards in hospitals has been rising in recent years. According to the most recent figures, there were over 40,000 hospitalisations in 2016. Nearly 400,000 people with a mental illness were examined in psychiatric outpatient departments in 2016.