Serbia

Prior to 2019, the state had transferred ownership of primary care facilities and equipment to local government, along with responsibility for the management, capital investment, and development of specific health care plans and local public health programmes aligned to the needs of the local population. However, the Health Care Law (2019) re-centralized the system by transferring ownership of buildings and equipment of primary care institutions to the national level.

Compulsory health insurance contributions, from the nationally pooled health insurance fund (NHIF) represent the largest share of total health revenue from public sources. At present, the system of social health insurance financing is highly regressive, placing most of the financing burden on public employees and the smallest portion on the self-employed, who are often the wealthier segments of the population.

Health care is organized at three levels, primary, secondary and tertiary, which are closely interconnected. Services at the primary level are provided by a state-owned network of primary health care centres. Primary care is provided by a “chosen doctor” (who is either a medical doctor or a specialist in general medicine, in occupational medicine, in paediatrics, in gynaecology or a dentist). Patients are assigned to the primary care centre in the area where they live. Secondary care includes outpatient or inpatient care in hospitals. Tertiary care has the most specialized personnel and technological equipment and provides diagnostic and curative services.