Featured Doctor

KLEMENC KETIŠ, A/Prof Zalika

Slovenia - WONCA Europe executive member

Zalika is a member of executive board of WONCA Europe- representing EQuiP.

What work do you do now?

I am partly employed in the largest healthcare centre in Slovenia – Ljubljana Community Health Care Centre where I work in family medicine practice - and at the Institute for the research and development of primary healthcare.

At the Faculty of Medicine, University of Maribor, I am the chair of the Department of Family Medicine and associate professor of family medicine as well as head of the research group.

Other interesting things you have done?

I am very much interested in new methods of teaching and introduced a new teaching method in undergraduate and postgraduate studies – cinemeducation. It is the use of movies in medical education. I recently wrote a handbook about this topic.

My additional professional activities are: member of executive board of the Slovenian Family Medicine Society (and honoroary secretary for four years) ; person in charge of the quality assurance and improvement of Slovenian family medicine practices; and member of national scientific board for medicine.

I am also a member of EURACT and was involved in the work of EURIPA and EurOOHnet. I am responsible for two modules of the training for family medicine in Slovenia: quality and safety and research.

I am a member of editorial board of the journals BMC Family Practice and Zdravstveno Varstvo. I participated as an expert in the World Bank project “Improving the Health System in Montenegro”.

In 2016, I was awarded as the best teacher at the Faculty of Medicine University of Maribor and this year I received a certificate for being an expert teacher in family medicine education.

In 2004, I wrote a book on the history of family medicine in Slovenia.

What do you hope to achieve on WONCA Europe’s Executive Board?

I want to contribute actively to the development of WONCA Europe as the promotor of the development of family medicine in all European countries regarding of their diversity. I think that especially in south-eastern countries, there is a lot of room for improvement and international support is crucial.
I also hope to promote and facilitate family medicine development in Slovenia, with the experiences I will gain and I want to grow personally and professionally with the experience and within the Board.

What is it like to be a family doctor in your country?

In Slovenia, family doctors are valued very much by their patients who mostly turn to them when they are ill. Family medicine in Slovenia has experienced tremendous growth in the past years, professionally and also in education and research aspects. Now, it is regarded as a specialty which provides more opportunities for professional growth for doctors.

On the other hand, due to the big shortage of doctors in Slovenia and a growing amount of administrative work, family medicine is also currently quite exhausting.

What are your interests inside and outside work?

Professionally, I enjoy teaching and mentoring students and trainees. I really like to help young doctors with their careers, especially when they want extra things such as being involved in teaching and research. I also like research, especially on education and quality.

In my spare time, I like travelling – this is my biggest passion. I also like skiing and swimming. I like watching movies and reading books. But, most of all I like spending time with my husband and two daughters.