By: Moja Dolenjska
Exactly in the week when members of the National Assembly will decide on the harmful proposal to amend the Healthcare Services Act, we can read, albeit unsurprisingly, about the catastrophic financial results of state hospitals, which were even worse last year than the year before.
Despite state hospitals receiving nearly 114 million euros more last year than in 2023, three additional hospitals ended the year with a loss.
A total of 15 out of 27 state hospitals finished the financial year in deficit, marking the highest number in the past decade.
The SBC – Slovenian Business Club is therefore calling on all involved parties – state institution management, the leadership of the Health Insurance Institute of Slovenia, and especially the Government of the Republic of Slovenia – to finally act in the spirit of good governance and implement systemic solutions at every level to ensure positive financial operations of state institutions.
They warn that it is ultimately taxpayers who repeatedly cover these losses. However, the government continues to act contrary to what it should be doing.
Instead of strengthening the public healthcare system, which consists of both state and private healthcare providers, it is further weakening and dismantling it through measures such as the amendment to the Healthcare Services Act.
More than 4,000 doctors have also highlighted this concern in an open letter to the National Assembly, warning that the amendment could lead to a reduction in healthcare services and endanger certain medical fields that are already facing a shortage of specialists.
Source: SBC – Slovenian Business Club