Perinski proposes tougher sick‑leave checks; FZOM board demands more details
The Management Board asked for more details on how checks and a five‑day limit by family doctors would function; doctors and unions raised concerns.
Zlatko Perinski's sick‑leave reforms paused as FZOM board seeks clarifications
The Health Insurance Fund's (FZOM) Management Board has not yet approved director Zlatko Perinski's proposed changes to sick‑leave controls and has asked for additional explanations to determine how the measures would work in practice.
What the proposal contains
Perinski announced tougher checks that would verify whether people on sick leave are at home according to the medical indication for rest, and a proposal to limit the number of consecutive days a family doctor can issue to five days. The Board is expected to reconvene later this week to review the material.
The announcements provoked reactions. Some family physicians warned that shortening the number of days issued by primary doctors will create extra referrals and overload secondary and tertiary care. Dr. Dragan Gjorgjievski, president of the Association of General and Family Medicine Physicians, said: "There should be exceptions for certain diagnoses where the family doctor can again manage a larger number so as not to burden secondary and tertiary health care further with sick leaves, the specialist has 20-30 examinations daily and now an additional 20-30 priority referrals for extending sick leaves, a problem and revolt will be created among them"....
Silvana Andov of the Health Insurance Fund responded that "It does not mean that the fifth day must necessarily be the one to refer; the right to sick leave, or to report to the medical commission, is the fifteenth day. That specialist finding should be secured by the fifteenth day"....
Trade unions said they do not support abuses but asked whether working conditions in sectors reportedly tied to the largest number of abuses have been analysed. Ivan Peshevski of the SSM said that where abuses are claimed, authorities should first look at conditions and pay, using the army and police as examples, and note unpaid overtime and high risk levels. The Fund cites a 33.4% rise in open sick leaves between 2021 and 2025 and says the changes aim to prevent false sick leaves.
Photo: press material from the event
