Abstract
In the resolution adopted at the 62nd World Health Assembly session in Geneva in May 2009, the World Health Organization (WHO) appealed to member states to develop their health care systems based on comprehensive primary health care and to support the education of a sufficient number of healthcare providers, general practitioners/family doctors who are capable of working in multidisciplinary community care. The WHO program "Health 2020" also emphasizes the key role of primary health care.
For general practical medicine to fulfil this role, the following principal requirements are to be accomplished: sufficient number of qualified general practitioners, who will ensure adequate network of health care providers; an optimal number of patients per one general practitioner to enable individual care of a high quality; age composition of general practitioners and a system of filling in gaps which would allow their natural replacement. The article describes the situation in the Czech Republic with respect to the number of general practitioners, their age composition and the ways in which they can be replaced following retirements.
In the years 2009-2011 a total of 381 residency positions were allocated to particular regions. Comparing single data, it is clear that the residencies allocated only partially cover the needs of particular regions including essential mobility.
The residencies that have been allocated are 55% of the total number of practitioners aged over 65 years in a given region. From the above mentioned reasons it is necessary to accept a series of measures that are discussed in the article.