At today’s session, the Government of the Republic of Slovenia adopted the starting points for drafting the Act on the Recognition of Professional Qualifications in Healthcare. Slovenia is experiencing a growing need for healthcare services and staff, making the draft of the new Act on the Recognition of Professional Qualifications in Healthcare necessary. The proposed Act simplifies and accelerates recruitment procedures for foreign healthcare professionals, which will contribute to a more accessible healthcare system. The proposed Act introduces standardised and shortened procedures for recognising professional qualifications of foreign healthcare professionals, which will reduce costs and administrative barriers. The new measures include the possibility of a six-month period of training with an employer, the recognition of qualifications for surgical demonstrations and alignment of procedure costs. The proposed Act also defines the involvement of an expert for specific educational programmes if necessary, the taking of professional examinations with an interpreter and health professionals’ commitment to employment with the employer following the completion of the procedure. With these amendments, we want to ensure stable operations of the health system and facilitate the inclusion of foreign health professionals into our environment.

At today’s session, the Government adopted the starting points for drafting the Act on the Institute for Medical and Other Expertise in the Field of Social Security. The Act will address increasing absenteeism, improve maintenance of the ability to work and standardise the criteria for working ability. Currently, the expert bodies are divided between different institutes and are not inter-linked. The Ministry of Labour, Family, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities appoints commissions that observe various legislations, resulting in incoherent resolution of cases and lengthy procedures. The Act’s objectives include employee utilisation and reduction of the shortage of experts, expedited and standardised decision-making for citizens, reduction of absenteeism by incorporating occupational health specialists in the first 90 days of absence, and the introduction of standardised working documentation and plans for returning to work. The advantages of the joint expert body include closer cooperation between individual expert bodies, employers and occupational health specialists, consistent and professional treatment of insured persons aimed at a prompt return to work or the acquisition of social security rights, and harmonised composition of professional criteria and diagnostic procedures. Financial savings will be achieved by reducing direct and indirect expertise costs and administrative costs. The Act will centralise and arrange the field of expertise and improve the efficiency of case resolution in the field of social security by means of close cooperation of all stakeholders. Financial calculations will be prepared by the time of the draft Act.