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On today’s Business breakfast we had an opportunity to listen to an interesting presentation of our Minister of Health Mr. Dorijan Marušič. His vision is positive population health and his strategy is flexibility and responsiveness of health care system according to the need of the population.

The values of Slovenian health care system according to Mr. Marušič:

– Solidarity: All citizens contribute according to their income and have equal right to access the health care services;

– Universality: Nobody is denied access to health care;

– Equity: Equal access to health care services according to needs and not according to ethnic group, gender, age, social status or payment capability; and

– Accessibility: Access to quality health care for all.

Advantages and disadvantages of the Slovenian healthcare system:

Advantages

Universality of compulsory health care insurance;

Good accessibility to new health technologies;

Stress on promotion, protection, prevention;

Institute of gatekeeper at primary level; and

Concessionares as a “mirror” to public providers.

Disadvantages

Built-in non-solidarity or prioritization of certain categories of population;

Number of physicians;

Inefficiency in buying health care services – complementary health insurance;

Unsystematic quality control;

Non-autonomy of public health providers and wages not connected to productivity; and

Inflexibility of the public health institutions in accepting changes.

EU Cross Border Health Care Directive shall be implemented in Slovenian legislation by 2014

EU directive enables free flow of patients among member countries, where they receive safe and quality health care.

In spite of some limitations (transplantation, vaccinations, hospitala and expensive health care) directive opens the borders to foreign health services providers and represents a big challenge to health care system.

Development and improvements in health care system can only be assured by financially accessible, well organized and accredited system that provides services of high quality and safety that are clinically efficient and cost effective.

Key word: Accessibility to health care services needed

4 goals in accessibility:

– Financial (availability of funds connected to solidarity in fund collection)

– Organizational (flexibility of management in public health institutions, number of physicians, waiting times, stressing primary care, protection, prevention and health promotion)

– Allocative or real needs determination (systematic introduction of new health technologies according to clinical efficiency and cost effectiveness)

– Qualitative (access not to any service, but to health care service of high quality and safety)

Mr. Marušič also spoke about reform in healthcare system. ‘’All drugs should be implemented in the same way. More transparency in the process of implementation of new drugs and technologies is needed. In 2011-12 we will spare a certain amount of budget, close to 2%, for new technologies and investments. This is a goal of EU countries. We have to open the health insurance market; otherwise we will not be able in position to survive in 2014 (implementation of EU Cross Border Health Care Directive). We have to find the formula to attract the patients from EU after 2014. Slovenia needs 5-6 new hospitals in the next 5 years. I would immediately start process of building 5 new hospitals, designed on the base of trends and the needs of the population. Cost 200-300 mil of €, which is only small part of the budget. Every 5th doctor is on duty, there is lack of doctors, in a way we are the most inefficient country in EU.’’

‘’We need more autonomy for our healthcare providers.’’

‘’Define the problem, find a goal, start a dialog and go forward.’’