Almost 30 percent of nurses and technicians employed at the Clinical Center of Montenegro (KCCG) have a university degree, which they obtained in one of the countries in the region.
The largest healthcare institution currently employs 1.537 nurses and technicians, 442 of whom have a college or higher education degree.
Almost half of them, however, did not complete the legal procedure for equivalence of diplomas before the committees of the Faculty of Medicine in Podgorica.
"By May 28, 2025, all certificates of acquired educational qualifications have been validated, while 196 of them have been equalized," it was specified in the responses of the Clinical Center, which is managed by Aleksandar Radovic.
The Parliament of Montenegro adopted amendments to the Law on the Recognition of Foreign Educational Documents, which tightened the rules for the validation of diplomas obtained outside Montenegro.
In mid-May, the Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation (MESI) issued decisions to suspend the recognition of foreign educational certificates for more than 120 medical workers who, since mid-last year, had brought certificates of graduation from the Belgrade private Medical College "Milutin Milanković".
According to confirmed information from "Vijesti", several employees from KCCG are on that list.
From the department Anđele Jakšić-Stojanović It was previously stated that they had requested verification of the authenticity of these foreign documents through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but had not received a response from the competent authorities in Serbia. They stressed that the process of recognizing as many as 127 diplomas from that private school could only continue after a response from Serbia.
A lawyer from that institution from Serbia Jelena Tadic Pirec Recently, in response to an article in "Vijesti" from May, she said that the "Milutin Milanković" school meets all standards for accreditation of higher education institutions in the Republic of Serbia and emphasized that she expects that the process of nostrification of their diplomas by the competent institutions will be carried out in such a way that it will not leave any possibility for anyone to doubt the validity and authenticity of these documents.
In early April, the Ministry of Education and Science announced that it would not recognize any diplomas from the private "Tutin" High School in Tutin that were obtained since 2019, when the institution was banned from operating due to illegality. This includes more than 60 diplomas...
"Vijesti" sources from the healthcare system explain that middle-level medical staff mostly decide to pursue additional education at colleges or universities because these degrees also provide a higher base salary.
Pljevlja and Cetinje are silent, others claim that everything is according to the rules
All Montenegrin hospitals, except for the Pljevlja General Hospital and the "Danilo I" General Hospital in Cetinje, responded to questions from "Vijesti" regarding the number of nurses and technicians with college or university degrees, details of recognition, and the impact on the earnings of nursing staff.
For years, the media has been reporting that the double-digit number of diplomas of nurses and technicians at the Pljevlja hospital is questionable, after which the case was taken over by the competent prosecutor's office, which dismissed the criminal charges at the end of last year.
Explaining the method of calculating salaries for secondary medical staff with college or university degrees, the KCCG said that "salaries are calculated in accordance with the Sectoral Collective Agreement for the Health Sector, and based on employment in the workplace in accordance with the Systematization Act, i.e., the required level of education."
"A situation where higher wages are calculated based on a diploma that has not been validated and equalized is not possible, given that it is not possible to exercise the right to establish an employment relationship for a position except in accordance with the Systematization Act," claim the KCCG.
The General Hospital in Nikšić employs 19 nurses/technicians with a completed medical degree, 13 of whom obtained their degree outside of Montenegro.
"All diplomas are recognized by the Ministry of Health and equalized at the Faculty of Medicine. For one nurse, there is no decision on equalization by the Faculty of Medicine in Podgorica in the personnel file. However, since she passed the professional exam before the Ministry of Health, about which she submitted a certificate, it is highly likely that the diploma was equalized, but that the employee did not submit a decision on this, since she passed the professional exam, during which she had to submit complete documentation," was the response from the institution, which is managed by Zoran Mrkic.
They specified that all employed nurses or technicians, after submitting a certificate of passing the professional exam, were approved for earnings coefficients related to completed university education.
"So, when an employee graduates from a medical school, has their diploma recognized, equalized, and passes the professional exam before the Ministry of Health, they contact the institution to increase their coefficient," they explained.
The Bar General Hospital has 46 employees with medical school diplomas.
"Three employees obtained their diplomas outside of Montenegro. Employees who obtained their education after January 25, 2008, completed the procedure for recognition and equivalence of educational documents acquired abroad and all have passed professional exams at the Ministry of Health, within the level of qualifications of the acquired education. After completing the procedure for recognition and equivalence of educational documents and passing the professional exam, which gives them the right to independently perform their activities, the coefficient of complexity of the work determined in the Sectoral Collective Agreement for the Health Sector is applied," the institution responded, emphasizing that only employees who have completed the legal procedure for recognition and equivalence of foreign educational documents can acquire the right to a higher coefficient.
The General Hospital in Bijelo Polje did not specify the number of employees with diplomas from higher education institutions or colleges outside the country. However, they claim that “the diplomas of all medical technicians who were obtained outside Montenegro have been validated, that is, they have passed the procedure of recognition and equivalence”, and that they have all passed the professional exam for work in a health institution. They also say that they are focusing special attention on “harmonizing all activities in the institution according to legal norms that prescribe very clear criteria based on which someone can work and provide health services”.
The Kotor Clinical Hospital Center states that 37 nurses and technicians with higher nursing degrees work at that institution, including the Meljine organizational unit.
"Among them are those who completed their education outside of Montenegro. Their level of education is monitored individually, and the recognition and professional training procedures are carried out in accordance with the usual procedures and last for a certain period of time. All employees are in the process of harmonization, in accordance with the regulations and work plan of the institution. Salaries are calculated according to several criteria, taking into account available documentation and work engagement. If changes occur during work, they are taken into account in further calculations. The work is carried out smoothly and in an organized manner, in accordance with the rules of the institution," they specified.
KBC Berane says that the institution has 87 employees with a college or university degree, obtained outside the borders of Montenegro.
"The diplomas were validated and equalized, and that was a requirement for taking the professional exam at the Ministry of Health," they specified.
The Ministry of Health keeps internal records.
According to data from the Ministry of Health, the healthcare system currently has 760 nurses and technicians with university degrees and 26 with higher medical education.
From the department Vojislav Šimun They did not specify how many of these educational documents were acquired outside Montenegro, emphasizing that other institutions have this type of data.
"The Ministry of Health keeps records of passed professional exams for healthcare workers and healthcare associates. The records, as prescribed, include, among other things, information on the level of professional qualifications and the field of professional education. The aforementioned records do not contain information on the place where the educational certificate was obtained, i.e. the register does not contain information on whether the applicant for taking the professional exam before the commission of the Ministry of Health obtained the educational certificate in Montenegro or abroad," they explained.
They emphasize, however, that when reviewing the documentation and determining whether the requirements for taking the professional exam have been met, the commission secretary internally records the country in which the foreign educational certificate was acquired.
"According to data from internal records, in 2023, 58 people with an educational certificate acquired outside Montenegro, at the level of higher education nurse/technician qualification, passed the professional exam. In 2024, 58 people with an educational certificate acquired outside Montenegro, at the level of higher education nurse/technician qualification, passed the professional exam. During the five months of 2025, 30 people with an educational certificate acquired outside Montenegro, at the level of higher education nurse/technician qualification, passed the professional exam," they replied.
They remind that the recognition of documents on acquired primary, secondary and higher vocational education for the purpose of employment is carried out by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, and the equalization of qualifications is carried out by the school or institution that implements a comparable educational or study program.
"Specifically, for senior nurses/technicians, the qualification equalization process is under the jurisdiction of the Faculty of Medicine, within which the study program for senior nurses is located," they explained.
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