The health care financing system in Montenegro from general revenues, such as value added tax, excise taxes and personal income tax, is an excellent example of good practice at the European level.
This was assessed during the two-day visit of the Ministers of Health and Finance, Vojislav Šimun and Novica Vuković, to the Office of the World Health Organization (WHO) for the financing of health systems in Barcelona.
The Ministry of Health announced that, in consultation with the head of the Office, it was pointed out that with this type of financing in Montenegro, citizens exercise the right to health care in the public health system without the condition of prior payment of contributions.
"The change in the health care financing model in Montenegro has resulted in multiple effects," the announcement says.
It is stated that the abolition of health care contributions has reduced the level of burden on the economy and employers.
At the same time, as announced, a higher level of stability in financing the health system and better prospects for a positive effect on economic growth in the country were provided.
WHO Regional Director for Europe Hans Kluge said that securing funds for health care and the sustainability of financing the health system is a serious challenge in all countries.
"And in this sense, he welcomed the political commitment of the Government of Montenegro to ensure the financial sustainability of the health system as the backbone of achieving universal health care," the statement said.
Šimun said that the Government is committed to intensifying the agenda of transformation of the healthcare system in Montenegro, as well as that the department he manages is dedicatedly working on measures aimed at optimizing resources in healthcare.
According to him, the special focus is on strengthening primary health care, taking care of chronic diseases and strengthening the capacity to implement preventive services, in order to reduce the rate of preventable hospitalizations and the need for expensive and intensive treatments.
"We are also working intensively on investing in health personnel, in order to raise the level of staffing, but also the required competencies and adequate reallocation in the country and according to the levels of health care," said Šimun.
He added that he will insist on digital solutions with the aim of reducing the waiting time for examination and consultation, more efficient monitoring of drug flows and consumption.
"As well as the introduction of electronic health services in order to further improve the efficiency of the health system, the availability, as well as the quality of health care that our citizens pay for through the system of general revenues and taxes", said Šimun.
He said that special attention will be devoted to defining the systemic response in order to improve the financial protection of the citizens of Montenegro, through interventions in systemic laws, including laws on health care and health insurance.
"The health care system of Montenegro is burdened with a multitude of complex challenges and long-standing, chronic problems, and system solutions should be based on good practices and developed in cooperation with reliable partners", assessed Šimun.
Vuković said that investing in health is a strategic priority of the Government of Montenegro, because only a healthy population represents the backbone of economic development and prosperity of a society in which no one is forgotten.
He added that Montenegro is committed to advocating the concept of longevity and welfare economy, where the health and satisfaction of citizens will be a measure of success and development, not just economic output.
"Our economy and health system are faced with a multitude of different challenges and factors that increase the pressure on the budget and continuously cause the escalation of health spending," Vuković said.
According to him, a sustainable response to these challenges presupposes the transformation of the healthcare system, with a special focus on the availability and quality of healthcare services and efficiency.
Vuković said that the Government is dedicated to expanding the fiscal space, in order to ensure sufficient funds and improve the stability of investments in health care.
"Starting from the fact that, according to WHO estimates, inefficiencies cause up to 40 percent of losses in the health system, Vuković pointed out that special attention in the coming period will be devoted to the creation of policies and interventions aimed at optimizing the allocation of resources and promoting "smart investment" that results in measurable by improving the health of citizens", says the announcement.
He said that insisting on the payment model, which focuses on the patient and his needs, the promotion of quality health care and responsible management of resources, has no alternative.
As stated by Vuković, the overall ecosystem in which the health system functions has experienced a significant transformation, and therefore it is necessary to review and adjust the institutional arrangements and roles of the bearers of important functions of the health system.
According to him, Montenegro is dedicatedly working on optimizing the system of public procurement of medicines and harmonizing the legislation in that area with the relevant directives of the European Union.
The Ministry of Health said that during the meeting in Barcelona, it was agreed to intensify cooperation in order to strengthen the capacity for planning funds for health care financing.
"As well as defining a systemic package of interventions in dialogue with other strategic partners in order to improve the financial sustainability of the health system", stated that Government department.
As they said, the head of the WHO Office in Montenegro, Mina Brajović, also participated in the meeting.
She stated that, by working on the Strategy for improving the quality of health care with an operational system of indicators, conditions will be created for continuous optimization of the management of available resources in order to achieve better health outcomes.
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