An essay on developmental trends of medical schools in Croatia

Medicinski fakulteti su tradicionalno glavna središta biomedicinskih istraživanja. Oni osiguravaju jedinstvenu mogućnost znanstvene obrade problema, u širini od molekulskog, preko organskog i funkcijskog, do kliničkog očitovanja. Takav integralni pristup stavlja pred medicinske profesionalce veliki zahtjev raznorodne edukacije, a pred ustanovu posebnost položaja u javnom zdravstvu. Istodobno, nagli razvitak molekulske biologije je proizveo veliku koli­činu molekulske akribije, koju je potrebno uključiti u interpretiranje klasičnih znanja. Medicinski fakulteti u Hrvatskoj su suočeni s nekoliko razvojnih problema: gospodarski položaj, problemi laboratorijske opreme i školovanja, te zatomljene svijesti o značaju akademske izvrsnosti. Oslobađanjem od ranijeg gotovo tutorstva od strane države, predstoji uvođenje tržišnih načina financiranja fakultetske djelatnosti. Znanstvena kretanja u biomedicinskim znanostima određuju pomake u medicinskim fakultetima. Trovrsna djelatnost klinika: znanstveno istraživanje, podučavanje medicine i lije­čenje — zahtijeva poseban status klinika prema javnom zdravstvu, posebice prema problemu hitnih stanja u gradu sjedištu. Klinike su instituti i referalna središta za pojedine probleme, zbog čega se javno zdravstvo mora prilagoditi zahtjevima institutskog rada klinika. Autor ističe smjernice rješavanja pojedinih problema medicinskih fakulteta i unutar njih klinika. Te smjernice određene su prema nedostatnosti pojedinih područja, a namjera im je skrenuti pažnju uključenih djelatnika na potrebu njihovog prioritetnog rješavanja. Za postizanje i povratak svjetske razine profesionalnosti na medicinskim fakultetima u Hrvatskoj, nezaobilazno se moraju riješiti krive pretpostavke o ulozi i položaju fakulteta u društvu.Medical faculties have traditionally been leading institutes for biomedical research. A unique opportunity of treating the problem from the molecular to the organic, functional and clinical level gives medical schools an advantage of integral approach to biomedical problems. Due to such wide approach, medical schools’ professionals are confronted with very heterogenous educational demands. At the same time, very rapid development of molecular biology has generated a substantial body of data, through which classical knowledge is to be reinterpreted. Medical faculties in Croatia are presently faced with several Groups of problems: economic, laboratory equipment and training shortages, as well as a lack sense of competitive academic excellence. Following the release from the political and social influences of one party dominance, faculties are facing the problems of establishing competitive market principles in their economic background. The author analyzes scientific trends and their influences on medical schools. A triple function, comprising teaching, scientific research and the treatment of diseases, which constitutes the basic premises of university teaching hospitals, requires a specific hospital position in the public emergency health system, as well as additional individual professional efforts. University teaching hospitals are the institutes for specified nosologic entities and therefore public health system should be adjusted to its institutional approach to the problem. The author outlines the guidelines for the medical schools’ and teaching hospitals’ development, which are postulated with specific reference to the present status and problems of the health system and faculties in Croatia