The proposed act introduces certain permanent and temporary urgent measures in healthcare and health insurance, healthcare activity, absenteeism and jobs in healthcare and thus eliminates certain organisational weaknesses of the healthcare system and unreasonably long waiting periods.

The proposed act will enable the publication of an extraordinary call for specialisations in 2023 and 2024. The list of beneficiaries for the allowance when selecting specialisation in family medicine will be extended. As per the proposed act, the doctors whose specialisation in family medicine will be approved for the first time in 2024 will be entitled to a monthly allowance in the amount of EUR 1,000 gross for the duration of the specialisation.

The proposed act also stipulates that all doctors in the public healthcare network at all levels of healthcare, including concessionaires, must be involved in the provision of continuous healthcare. The proposed article facilitates the organisation of work for the providers of continuous emergency medical assistance and denotes a more even load for the doctors included in the continuous healthcare.

The act will enable the Ministry of Health to have direct access to aggregated and anonymised data from the database of the Health Insurance Institute of the Republic of Slovenia (ZZZS). On this note, we underline that the Ministry will not access personal data and it will not be possible to identify an individual from the data provided or access their health records or data in the records.

The proposed act restricts legal traffic with concessions, i.e. it disables the status transformation of a concessionaire from a sole trader into a company. If a concessionaire no longer wishes to perform the healthcare activity on the basis of the granted concession, the proposed act requires the verification of the need for further implementation of the concession activity and the procedure for granting a (new) concession.

The act proposes several measures in the field of absenteeism:

• the period of receiving compensation for absence at the expense of compulsory health insurance is shortened, i.e. the period of sickness allowance borne by the employer is extended by 30 days;
• the same amount of compensation is maintained throughout the absence;
• the upper limit of compensation is introduced at 2.5 times the average salary.

The proposed act defines in detail the method of collecting compulsory health insurance contributions.

The measure of reduced level of knowledge of the Slovenian language at B2 level is extended until 31 December 2025 for certain jobs in healthcare, i.e. registered nurses, registered midwives and masters of pharmacy.

The measures to facilitate the employment of foreign doctors include the elimination of the annual quota for the number of job vacancies, shortening of the adaptation period, possibility of only sitting for individual content of the professional examination (and recognition of other content), and transfer of procedural costs from the candidate to the healthcare provider who published the job vacancy.

The proposed act governs in the detail the rights to preventive examination for athletes; specifically, it additionally determines the right to a preventive examination for registered athletes until the age of 26.

Source: Ministry of Health

The Government reallocates budgetary resources

The Government confirmed the redistribution of spending rights in this year's state budget, which are also intended to ensure funds for measures following the severe flooding and landslides in August.

The Financial Administration of the Republic of Slovenia will receive funds of the general budgetary provision in the amount of EUR 5.5 million intended for advance payments for the renovation of apartments after the floods.

The Ministry of Labour, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities will allocate spending rights within its financial plan in the amount of EUR 3.8 million. The funds will be earmarked for extraordinary social assistance in cash for the people affected by the floods.

Source: Ministry of Finance

The Government gives its consent to the appointment of the Health Council

The Government gave its consent to the appointment of the Health Council. The Health Council is the highest coordinating body and the highest advisory body to the Minister of Health in the field of health, healthcare and health insurance. The Council forms proposals for the content of health programmes from the aspect of their feasibility, accessibility, balanced development of all disciplines and the financial impact of health technologies in accordance with the needs of the population at the national level. The Minister appoints the President and members of the Health Council within three months of taking office and they are appointed for the duration of the Minister’s term.

The Health Council consists of senior councillors, councillors, university professors and other experts in healthcare, as follows:

• Dr Mirta Koželj, retired cardiologist, President,
• Dr Erik Brecelj, employed at the Institute of Oncology Ljubljana (OIL), member,
• Prof Dr Danica Rotar Pavlič, employed at the Family Medicine Outpatient Clinic of Galenia d. o. o., member,
• Prof Dr Martina Drevenšek, employed at the Stomatology Division of Ljubljana University Medical Centre (UKCL), member,
• Dr Mitja Kos, employed at the Faculty of Pharmacy of the University of Ljubljana, member,
• Dr Alojz Ihan, employed at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Ljubljana, member,
• Dr Radovan Hojs, employed at the Division of Internal Medicine of Maribor University Medical Centre, member,
• Prof Dr Tatjana Lejko Zupanc, employed at the Department of Infectious Diseases of UKCL, member.

The following renowned experts in public health, healthcare management, health epidemiology and informatics were appointed to the Health Council:

• Dr Matjaž Vogrin, employed at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Maribor, member,
• Dr Mario Fafangel, employed at the National Institute of Public Health (NIJZ), member,
• Prof Dr Maja Rus Makovec, employed at Ljubljana University Psychiatric Hospital, member,
• Dr Denis Baš, employed at Dr Julij Polec Community Health Centre in Kamnik, member,
• Dr Marko Pokorn, employed at the Paediatric Clinic of UKCL, member,
• Alenka Kolar, employed at the Ministry of Health, member.

The following renowned experts in health economics and insurance were appointed to the Health Council:

• mag. Dorijan Marušič, employed at Celjenje Health Institute, member,
• Jakob Ceglar, employed at the Health Insurance Institute of Slovenia, member,
• Prof Petra Došenovič Bonča, employed at the Faculty of Economics of the University of Ljubljana, member.

As a representative of the civil society, the following person is appointed:

•  Tanja Španić, employed at the Europa Donna Association, member.

The President of the Strategic Council for Health and Midwifery is appointed among the experts of health and midwifery:

•  Nataša Vidnar, employed at the Ministry of Health, member.

Source: Ministry of Health

The Government appoints new representatives of the founders in the councils of the public health institutions of Jesenice General Hospital and Dr Franc Derganc Nova Gorica General Hospital

The Government dismissed Eva Knez and mag. Tomaž Krišelj from the council of the public health institution of Jesenice General Hospital as the representatives of the founder. For the remainder of the term, i.e. until 13 September 2027, it appointed Andrej Eržen and Darko Lončnar as the representatives of the founder.

The Government dismissed Matej Oset from the council of the public health institution of Dr Franc Derganc Nova Gorica General Hospital and appointed Jordan Berginc as the representative of the founder for the remainder of the term, i.e. until 24 September 2027.

Source: Ministry of Health