Regarding patient organizations, they welcome some of the solutions offered by the healthcare reform, for example regarding the management of ZZZS. They advocate the abolition of supplementary insurance, which, according to them, should be accompanied by a proportional assessment of the contribution.
The Association of Patient Organizations of Slovenia believes that we are at a decisive moment for healthcare reform, but at the same time, a tolerant dialogue must be conducted. They formed positions on the current proposals for health laws, which were presented by the chairman of the Committee on Legislation and Legal Assistance to Patients Rado Bohinc.
Regarding the proposal for the law on the Health Insurance Institute of Slovenia, they believe that the introduction of a modern two-tiered corporate management method with the administration and the supervisory board is a step in the right direction, but it must be carried out consistently. According to the association’s assessment, the supervisory board should be made up of representatives of employees and patients in addition to the founder, and the board should acquire all management powers, including program and financial planning.
The next steps should follow this, Bohinc emphasized. He was among the first to point out the institutional separation of the regulatory and insurance functions. According to the association with ZZZS, regulatory, professional and development and supervisory tasks should be transferred to a newly established public agency. This would determine the rules, prices and quality standards and supervise their implementation.
According to Bohinčev, it would then be necessary to transfer the founding powers of public health institutions from the state or municipalities to a new structure for the management of public institutions, a health holding company modeled after SDH. This would be a management association owned and controlled by the state, which manages and supervises regionally connected health institutions, he explained. According to the draft law on the health information system, it is primarily pointed out that a public company should be envisaged that would maintain and develop a central health information system. system, included in the proposed holding structure of public institutions.
According to the association, the Act on Institutions is not the most appropriate
Bohinc also addressed some critical words to the bill on institutions. As he said, the amendment proposal does not modernize corporate governance. According to the association, the law should introduce a two-tier management system with the administration and the supervisory board, and demarcate the supervisory responsibilities and powers of the boards of institutes from the full managerial powers of the directors. The changes regarding the appointment and recall of the director are a partial approach, they warn and urge the government to leave the appointment of directors to the supervisory boards institutions, because this is a professional and not a political task. “There must be continuity of leadership, and this must be primarily based on expertise and ability, and less on liking a single political option,” they call in connection.
They also believe that supplementary health insurance should be abolished. In doing so, they defend the proportionality of contributions, but emphasize the need to reduce the financial burden of salaries. They see opportunities especially in non-financial resources, namely in better organization and management, greater efficiency and rational use of resources and capacities.
According to the association, another part of the health reform should address the area of quality and safety. As the chairman of the committee for patient safety and quality in healthcare said Franc Zalar, among the important building blocks of this field, the union sees the law on the quality and safety of medical treatment, the decriminalization of human errors, the public independent body that directs and controls this field, and the law on no-fault compensation.
They want a healthcare system that puts the patient first
Vice President of the Federation Franci Gerbec emphasized that healthcare reform is necessary, but dialogue and tolerance between all actors must be maintained. They want a healthcare system that puts the patient first. Chairperson of the working group for accessibility and equality Larisa Hajdinjak however, she touched on the first phase of the operation of the national call center for patient assistance, which, according to the association’s assessment, met expectations. According to her, providers have started to publish data on free capacity more regularly, ZZZS has started with a new way of calculating free capacity, the responsiveness of providers has increased, there are fewer complaints about the unavailability of doctors at the primary level.
The call center received nearly 2,400 calls between March 1 and April 14, with an average wait time of 15 seconds and a total conversation time of five minutes. The volume of calls decreased from the initial rush in the first two weeks, but the association is convinced that entering the second phase of the call center in June is more than justified.
Source: Rtvslo
