General medical practitioners in Czechia: development trends and regional differences

Abstract

In Czechia general practical medicine represents the bulk of basic primary healthcare both in terms of the number of doctors and the range of services provided. For the healthcare system to function effectively as a whole requires sufficient capacity and the even distribution of providers across the country. As observed throughout Europe, a key risk is the age structure of the general practitioner population, with most of the capacity being provided by older practitioners, which could affect overall primary care access in the future. In Czechia, the general practitioner age structure is skewed, with the proportion of older age groups continually increasing. This article analyses changes in selected indicators of the number, capacity and age structure of general practitioners at the regional level in 2010–2019 and identifies regions where general healthcare access may be at risk. These areas are often rural and, as the specially created municipality typology shows, the pace of change differs along an urban vs rural line.