Although the Health Insurance Fund "saved" about half a million euros for sick leave last year compared to 2021, a large number of employers still indicate that employees in the private and public sector are abusing the right to temporary incapacity for work.
From the Fund, of which he is the head Vuk Kadic, say that a large number of control procedures are in progress and that in the coming period they plan to form another commission that will check suspicions about misuse of sick leave coming from employers.
According to the data of that institution, submitted to "Vijesti", during the first six months of this year, 6.428 sick leave cases were opened, which is a decrease of 10,8 percent compared to the same period last year.
They also answered that last year, a million working days were lost due to sick leave in Montenegro.
Sick leave in a state-owned company, but they work privately
Director of Radio Television of Montenegro (RTCG) Boris Raonic claims that the media company still has colleagues who are on sick leave, "and these days we see them working on private projects of production companies, working in barbecues..."
"We sent documentation, talked to many institutions, but there is still no systemic response from the state to the misuse of millions of costs... We achieved the most through discussions with colleagues, doctors and by canceling the jobs of those persons. However, all this requires a lot of energy and time and in the end is not a sustainable solution. The only way is for some doctor to be held criminally responsible for misuse of sick leave," Raonic said.
The Agency for Environmental Protection, which it manages Milan Gazdić, she contacted the Podgorica Health Center in April because of the suspicion that an employee was abusing sick leave... They claim that they have not received an answer to date.
When asked why they suspected abuse, they said that the employee "threatened the director" in front of several witnesses that he would go on sick leave, which he did after a few days. They claim that the institution received anonymous reports from citizens who forwarded photos from the employee's social networks.
The Agency says that the employee started sick leave at the end of March this year and was absent until the end of June, after which he used last year's vacation for about twenty days... They claim that he already used paid leave for two days at the beginning of August due to voluntary blood donation, and after therefore reopened sick leave until further notice...
"On 03.04.2023, the Agency addressed the Health Insurance Fund of Montenegro with a request to investigate his temporary inability to work. We received the answer on 7.04.2023/25.04.2023/XNUMX. in which they informed us that it was a sick leave of less than a month, and that the Fund does not have the authority to review the inability to work, but that it is the responsibility of the chosen doctor. After that, on April XNUMX, XNUMX, the Agency sent a request to the Health Center in Podgorica for verification of temporary incapacity for work, however, we have not received an answer", claims the Agency.
Two commissions control abuses
The FZO reminded that this institution formed a Commission for checking temporary incapacity for work, which is determined by a selected team of doctors or a selected doctor, which has carried out several checks since May at the request of employers.
"A large number of verification procedures are ongoing, so the plan is to form another commission," they said.
The FZO said that in accordance with the Law on Mandatory Health Insurance, temporary incapacity for work for up to 30 days is determined by the selected team or selected doctor, and after 30 days by the competent medical commission, depending on the type and nature of the disease.
"In the case of suspicion that the selected team or the selected doctor did not establish temporary incapacity for work in accordance with the law, the Fund can, at the request of the employer or ex officio, initiate a procedure for checking temporary incapacity for work", they said.
The FZO reminded that the verification of temporary incapacity for work determined by the selected team or selected doctor is carried out by a committee formed by that institution, and the verification of temporary incapacity for work determined by the competent medical commission is carried out by a committee formed by the Ministry.
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