Academic cooperation in family medicine: a viewpoint from Split

The problems, current status, and opportunities of national and international collaboration between the academic family medicine institutions in Southern Europe, particularly in the region of ex Yugoslavia, as perceived from the standpoint of the Department of Family Medicine in Split University School of Medicine, Split, Croatia, are presented in this brief review. A historical survey of this department's educational, professional, and scientific development from its establishment in 1997 is given to place the regional issues in context. Family physicians are strong in number here - around 53 family practitioners per 100,000 inhabitants in Croatia, similar to surrounding countries, but weak in academic representation, with only 18 active faculty members. This compares to general internal medicine with 28 practitioners per 100,000 inhabitants and 106 active faculty members. The reasons for such a disproportion are analyzed, and the importance of collaboration is stressed.

Although there have been several cooperative efforts, these activities can and should be intensified. While there is much work to be done, there are many opportunities for improvement.