It is necessary to work on education of the Roma and improvement of the quality of health of the Roma population as their greatest problem is lack of information and ignorance.
BRANKO KAJTAZI, Medical doctor and former RHSP scholarship beneficiaryHow would you briefly describe the RHSP Program?
It is the program that offers young people possibilities for education and advancement. In addition to providing scholarships and mentoring component within its scope, it includes organization of conferences, workshops, lectures, networking of young people with similar interests. The young Roma from this part of Europe have a chance to meet and hang out, prosper, learn foreign languages and engage in many other activities. RHSP in our country was launched in 2010 and I was the first generation who got the scholarship.
What importance did this Program have for you, how did you benefit from it?
I benefited a lot. In the first place, the financial support which is one of the key issues and of great help, having in mind that faculty, apart to enormous effort and work, requires also big material expenditures. For example, text books at the faculty of medicine are really expensive. I could afford to have a mentor, then to improve English language, and be socially engaged all the time.
After I finished the School of Medicine in Belgrade and received the Diploma, I did the obligatory training period. After taking the state license exam, I volunteered at Clinical Hospital Centre in Zemun, where my father is employed, and then, for a short period of time, I volunteered at Special Hospital Saint Sava, where I eventually got a permanent job.
Your father is a doctor, too. So, you followed his steps…
One can say so. Interestingly, my dad was the first medical doctor, the first who finished the Faculty of Medicine and pronounced to be a Roma.
How important is RHSP for the health system of Serbia?
It is exceptionally important because it invests the funds into the most important thing - education of young people who will be a part of the health system after completion of their studies, who will improve it with their knowledge and effort and be useful to the entire society. Young and high-quality professionals are always needed in health care.
How important is education of the Roma in the sphere of health?
It is necessary to work on education of the Roma and improvement of the quality of health of the Roma population as their greatest problem is lack of information and ignorance. I know that health mediators from the Ministry of Health go to Roma settlements, provide education and improvement of health quality and work on prevention of illnesses, which is vital. What I do at Saint Sava Hospital is treatment, which is the secondary health protection. Investing in health mediators means prevention of diseases and that is the first step towards education and, accordingly, towards the Roma health improvement.
Tell us what is your opinion about the importance of RHSP for the education system of Serbia?
This program enables the Roma to be a part of the health system and to make their knowledge high-quality. It is the way to invest in education and in the young people eager for learning and improvement. I had an opportunity to meet the scholarship beneficiaries from the countries of the region who finished the studies and who do their job excellently. They are very dedicated and wish to keep on improving and prospering. What I can say from this perspective is that the more you know the more valuable you are; therefore, everyone should avail of the opportunity when someone is ready and willing to help him. Hence, it is important for us to inform young Roma about this possibility and tell them that they should invest in themselves and their knowledge.
How important is education of the Roma and how much does it contribute to prejudice-breaking about the Roma population?
Young Romani people have to continue with education because in that way they invest in their own future. There are prejudices that all Roma people are illiterate and do not want to work. It is not true. A great number of them want to continue the school, but they do not have anyone to turn to for help and information. That is why this Program is of great importance. The more educated Roma who will be included in all the government systems, the more the prejudices about them as illiterate and unfit for work will be broken.
Has this program contributed to the position of the Roma in Serbia, and if it has, to what extent?
Of course, it has certainly contributed to the position of the Roma in Serbia because, in addition to the assistance rendered to the young Roma in the form of scholarships and investment in their education and improvement, a lot has been done at education of all other members of the Roma population in the field of health care and provision of necessary help.
After finished School of Medicine in Belgrade, you succeeded to get a job in the profession. Tell us something about it …
Medicine by itself is a humane branch and it has always attracted me. Since my childhood! I grew up with it. I have already mentioned that my father is a medical doctor and somehow it was logical that I followed his steps, and I really wanted it. I have always dreamed about surgery, cardiac surgery, heart operations, and during the studies it was my guiding star. Now-a-days, I love that radical medicine – either I help or do not help, either I will cure or will not succeed to help. That is something I have always wanted desperately. But, I got married young, when I was 22. I am a father of three underage kids – Andrej was born when I was on the fifth year of the faculty. Mateja was born when I was a senior undergraduate and Filip when I got a job at Saint Sava Hospital. I want to build my career, I love this country, I love Belgrade … I had an enormous wish to work at the Emergency Centre and that wish came true. I love emergency medical conditions, I am an adrenaline type. By conjunction, I got a job at Special Hospital Saint Sava, owing to the Ministry of Health, but also thanks to admirable Mister Milan Savić, director of this hospital. I worked in the intensive therapy unit catering to life-threatened patients who are literally connected to mechanical fans. Under such circumstances, it is necessary to make decisions in a second, as it is a matter of life and death. Indeed, the patients are difficult, but the hospital personnel are perfect. Everything functions well, people have respect for each other and the organization is great. If there is any institution where the organization is exceptionally good, then it is this one. Indeed, we miss some equipment-related things. Say, a new scanner would be a welcome. I work at a difficult, demanding, but good and high-quality position and I succeed to advance in any possible way. In April 2016, I got specialization, so that I am going to be a neurosurgery specialist. The specialization lasts four years; I am currently in the first. So, in addition to the shifts and obligations at Special Hospital Saint Sava, I have my duties at Emergency Centre, I study, I have seminars and I am very proud of it. I am very busy, but I am a contented and fulfilled man.
