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Progress in Family Medicine in Slovenia |
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| Abstract Slovenia is one of the transition countries in Central Europe. There is only one insurance company National health insurance institute in the country. Health care providers are split in several public non-for-profit health care centres (hospitals and primary health care centres) and private contractors. The compulsory health insurance covers over 80% of all health care costs. In the 1960 the code on the medical fields declared family medicine (in that time general medicine) as one of the specialist fields. In November 1995 after one test year Department of family medicine was established at Ljubljana University and in autumn 2003 the Department of family medicine will be established at Maribor University as integral part of new Medical School. Professional position of family physician has improved. The salaries has raised fivefold in the 1990. Public opinion towards quality of the health care system and especially family practice are encouraging. The satisfaction with family physicians is very high and can be compared to the levels of satisfaction in the other European states. The approval process and recognition of the family medicine as a special profession within the medical profession and among family physicians themselves was long, relatively tough and exhausting, so the today success has not arrive by chance. We will be fostering further activities in research, education and quality development in family medicine, because these are visiting cards of every profession.
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Slovenian
health care system Slovenia is one of the transition countries in Central Europe. The population of Slovenia is approximately 2 millions. It gained its independence in 1991 after the separation from former Socialist Federeative Republic of Yugoslavia and has faced dramatic political and economic changes. The changes are also seen in the organisation of health care services. Since 1992 the Slovene health care system like in other Central and East European countries has been transforming from the state run system to a decentralised model [1, 2]. The national health care system in Slovenia has only one insurance company National health insurance institute (NHII). Ministry of health has kept a co-ordinative role in annual agreement between NHII and health care providers which are split in several public non-for-profit health care centres (hospitals and primary health care centres) and private contractors. Annually plan of service provision and the payment of the services is agreed among the parties and a contract signed [1]. Financial constrains defined in the contract pose potential threats to the quality of care and could hinder good doctor-patient communication [3, 4]. The main source of the NHII budget consists of compulsory health insurance, which is partly derived from a percentage deduction from the wages of employees and other personal incomes, and partly directly from employers. Every inhabitant of Slovenia is insured through his/her employment status, the unemployed are covered by local communities. The compulsory health insurance covers over 80% of all health care costs. Through the purchase of voluntary insurance for co-payment, the remaining health care costs and additional services provided to the customer above the basic level can be assured by other insurance companies.. |
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