Overtime problem not solved says young doctor

Doctors will exhaust their maximum statutory number of overtime hours by the second half of next year again, Monika Hilšerová, spokesperson for the Young Doctors' Section of the Czech Medical Chamber said on Czech Television's political talk show Otázky Václava Moravce on Sunday, adding that some doctors had already worked the 416 hours allowed by law by August this year.

The Minister of Health, Vlastimil Válek, responded by saying that the problem should be solved by introducing shifts in hospitals where round-the-clock care is needed, instead of doctors working for 24 hours straight and then having a day off.

Doctors working in hospitals went on partial strike earlier this month, refusing to work overtime in protest at salary and working conditions. According to this year's survey by the Young Doctors' Association, on average medics work more than 900 hours of overtime per year.