NEWS
Prime Minister's press conference following the Government’s 109th regular session
At today’s session, the Government of the Republic of Slovenia, alongside several other resolutions, adopted the wording of the Draft Act on the Recognition of Professional Qualifications. The Minister of Health, Dorijan Marušič, outlined the basic features of this Act, and Prime Minister Pahor then answered a number of topical questions.
At today’s regular session, the Slovenian Government adopted the wording of the Draft Act on the Recognition of Professional Qualifications related to general practitioners, medical specialists and dental specialists, and submitted it to the National Assembly for discussion under an emergency procedure. Slovenia lacks approximately 500 medical specialists. Statistical figures show that in Slovenia there are 273.7 doctors per 100,000 citizens, while the EU average is 320.5. Despite new graduates from the Faculty of Medicine in Maribor and additional 30 enrolments on both medical faculties in the following academic years, we can achieve, without employing foreigners, the EU average only in 2020. Doctors from EU countries show no interest in working in Slovenia, while the status of citizens from third countries, in comparison with that of EU citizens, can be considered highly unequal. They are confronted with obstacles in being recognized relevant education, in performing traineeship and in taking a professional examination, as well as obstacles in the recognition of specialist training accomplished abroad and in obtaining a licence, which can prolong the procedure for almost three years.
The new Act will simplify these procedures, because instead of three bodies, only one body will conduct them, namely the Ministry. Moreover, the Act will simplify the criteria and shorten the time, and also provide safeguard clauses preventing foreigners from merely completing traineeship and specialist training in our country and then finding a job elsewhere. The same as in the case of Slovenian citizens, their traineeship will be covered from the funds of the Slovenian Health Insurance Institute. However, foreigners will be obliged to work in Slovenia as doctors for a particular period of time or return the money. The costs of the procedure related to the acquisition of qualifications will be covered either by foreign doctors themselves or their prospective employers. The Act also lays down that upon taking up work independently, foreign doctors must be in possession of a certificate of knowledge of the Slovenian language.
At the press conference following the Government's session, Prime Minister Pahor also reacted to critical observations put forward by the opposition upon the first half of the term of office. He said that on the radar which distinguishes the countries in the risk zone from those in the safe zone, Slovenia can be found in the safe zone. The recovery is not taking place as rapidly as we might wish, but in the second half of its term of office, the Government will do its utmost to increase competitiveness. "If the opposition is willing to provide any kind of assistance to this end, we will only be grateful." He nevertheless noted that the opposition's task is to critically observe the Government's results. It is a legitimate right of everyone to contemplate changing the Government. "However, as long as I have the mandate to lead this Government, I will perform this duty with dedication until the end, and so will the ministers," emphasised Mr Pahor. In this context, Prime Minister Pahor recalled that Slovenia had been among the first countries to tackle the strategy of overcoming the crisis, into which the whole world had plunged. The Government's efforts to effectively improve the situation during the first half of its term of office cannot be disputed. When asked about a possible resignation due to the lowest ever support shown by public polls, Prime Minister Pahor answered in the negative. "The burdens are heavy and the responsibility unbearable and I don't deny that sometimes I get slightly tired. But this is part of the office of a prime minister," Mr Pahor said. In his words, he also does not contemplate the idea that someone else might replace him in this office.