Government proposes new fiscal adjustment measures, draft health-care law

Podgorica, Montenegro (21 November 2013) – At today's sitting, the Government of Montenegro proposed new system-wide measures of fiscal adjustment for the next nine-month period, and a new draft law on health-care, defining a new model of medical institutions network and opening of eight new health centres. Ministers of Finance and Health addressed the media at the press conference.

Finance Minister Radoje Žugić explained the new fiscal measures and underlined that the Cabinet members were almost unanimous on the need to introduce them. He noted the measures include the need to adopt a new law on public sector income, removal of electricity tax, prolonging of the crisis tax, harsher approach to recurring law-breakers, and incentives for creating new jobs. The Minister highlighted the public sector wages will not go down, but will be distributed in a more just and objective manner, and will depend primarily on macro-economic and fiscal indicators, such as the budget deficit and public debt.

Health Minister Miodrag Radunović explained the media that the new draft law on health-care defines a new model of medical institutions network, ensuring their closer integration, rationalisation, and optimisation. He explained that the public health interest demanded an introduction of a new institution – the health centre – which will ensure vertical and horizontal connectedness of all levels of health-care. The health centres will be established individually in some municipalities, or as co-shared institutions for several neighbouring municipalities. He concluded that the objective is to ensure better access of citizens to medical doctors, greater mobility, and improvement of the health-care output.

Among other things, the Cabinet adopted Information on the Implementation of the Strategic Plan for the Establishment of the first Scientific and Technological Park in Montenegro and tasked the Finance Ministry to provide funds for the reconstruction of the “Army House” in the municipality of Nikšić for the accommodation of the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Centre “Technopolis”. The project’s implementation will create conditions for strengthening cooperation between scientific and research institutions and private sector in order to boost innovative activities and their generation into a specific product or service.