The government of the Republic of Serbia has adopted the National Program for the Digitalization of the Healthcare System. Implementation of the program began in 2022, with 2026 set as the deadline for completing all its components.
Some components have already been introduced, such as electronic medical prescriptions. With this innovation, doctors no longer need to print prescriptions and hand them to patients, who would then carry them to a pharmacy. Instead, a doctor issues an electronic prescription, and the pharmacist simply scans the patient’s medical card before dispensing the medication. The process is entirely paperless, which is better for the environment. It also reduces possibilities for errors which typically happen with hand-written documents. Finally, the entire process is less bureaucratic.
A similar benefit will come with e-sick leave. Employees who fall ill and are unable to work will no longer need to carry a printed “Report on Temporary Inability to Work” from their doctor to their employer. Instead, the doctor will assess the employee’s fitness for work, prepare the report electronically, and approve the sick leave in a digital form. The document will then be automatically delivered to the employer via the system.
For employees, this means they no longer need to worry about delivering sick leave reports when unwell. Employers, on the other hand, will benefit from a more efficient system for tracking employee sick leave. This is particularly important for organizations that experience issues with employees misusing sick leave to avoid work. The electronic system will enable employers to have better control and greater transparency over employees’ absentia during sick leave. This should reduce fraudulent activities and improve the entire work process, which should be a step towards more advanced healthcare system.
It is important to note that officials from the Ministry of health have announced that the system will enter a pilot phase in the first quarter of 2025. As with every software, the purpose of the pilot phase is to test the tool in the real life environment. Therefore, the pilot will determine whether the system is ready for full scale implementation, or if further adjustments are needed, potentially delaying its rollout.
Author: Danka Filipović, Associate in cooparation with IVVK Lawyers