Dear AmCham Slovenia members and friends,

The AmCham Health and Wellbeing Committee invites you to the AmCham Business Breakfast, where the common point of the conversation will be:

“What’s the True Cost if We Don’t Invest in Health?”

The importance of accessibility, responsibility, and prevention in healthcare – for individuals and society

TOPICS: 

• Slovenian employees are, on average, absent from work due to sick leave for 21.6 days per year (NIJZ, 2022). According to available WHO data for 2020, the average number of sick leave days per employee in the EU was 14.6 days per year.
• The Health Insurance Institute of Slovenia (ZZZS) spent a record €639 million on long-term sick leave last year – almost three times as much as in 2013.
• Nearly 38,000 patients are waiting for physiotherapy treatment beyond the legally allowed waiting time.
• The Medical Chamber of Slovenia estimates a shortage of approximately 1,300 doctors, with the greatest deficit in primary care.

These facts demand serious consideration: Can we, as a society, afford to keep treating health as a financial burden instead of recognizing it as a crucial investment in our collective future?

• Assoc. Prof. Branko Gabrovec, PhD is the general director of the National Institute of Public Health. He is also an associate professor in the field of public health at the University of Ljubljana. His research focuses on healthcare system organization, public health, and healthy ageing. He is the author of numerous scientific and professional publications. He has served as a member of the Health Council and on the boards of several healthcare institutions, including the University Clinic Golnik, the Institute of Oncology Ljubljana, and the University Medical Centres in Ljubljana and Maribor.
• Dragan Kovačič, MD is the director of the Celje General Hospital, where he also works as an interventional cardiologist and heads the Laboratory for Invasive Cardiac Diagnostics. He is a specialist in internal medicine, cardiology, and vascular medicine, and holds a PhD in the field of heart failure. He actively participates in international clinical research, including as the national coordinator for the ReDual PCI study, and regularly publishes professional articles both in Slovenia and internationally.
• Malina Müller, PhD leads research on the societal impact of health innovations and preventive measures at the German WifOR Institute. Her team’s analyses are also used by decision-makers in the German government. Using advanced economic models, WifOR evaluates the long-term benefits of investing in health, identifies gaps in accessibility, and explores how effective solutions can strengthen the resilience of the healthcare system. Müller is also a guest lecturer at several German universities and earned her PhD on the utilization of healthcare services within the German social insurance system.
• Prof. Stjepan Orešković, PhD collaborates with leading global universities such as Harvard, LSE, LSHTM, Bocconi, and Sorbonne. He has served as an advisor to the World Bank, the European Commission’s DG Science, and the WHO, and has published over 250 scientific and professional articles.

Jadranka Jezeršek Turnes, M.Sc. – member of the AmCham Health and Wellbeing Committee, founder of the Kontekst Institute, advisory board member of ERC Frontiers, member of the PCST network, and a recognized speaker and author at international conferences – will lead a discussion with distinguished guests.

Among the »key listeners« in the discussion will be members of the Health Committee of the National Assembly of the Republic of Slovenia, along with representatives from various political parties. Confirmed attendees include Iva Dimic (NSi), Bojana Muršič (SD), Tadej Ostrc (Democrats) and Marko Lotrič (FOKUS).

Knowledge and support: