The majority of members on the Committee on Health recently voted against a proposed ruling concerning hospital waiting times. The debate featured many proposals on where to find extra funding and which kind of systemic solutions could be introduced in order to shorten hospital waiting times. The waiting times are unacceptably long, also when it comes to physiotherapist, which mark World Physiotherapy Day today. Around 32.000 people are currently waiting to see a physiotherapist. Data from the National Institute of Public Health shows that almost one half of those have been referred by doctors to go see a physiotherapist under the marking 'urgent'.
There are less than 400 physiotherapists in Slovenia. Among EU member states Slovenia places 17th regarding the ratio of physiotherapists to the country’s population. The ones most affected by this are the patients who face unacceptably long waiting times. At the Ljubljana Health Care Centre patients have to wait from three months to half a year to see a physiotherapist. Physiotherapy has even been left out of the national health strategy, even though for many patients it represents the difference between being able to move or being secured to a bed.

In order to be heard, the Slovenian Association of Physiotherapists has prepared its own strategy proposal. Following the example of some other countries the association proposes that patients be given access to a physiotherapist, not only through a doctor's referral, but also through self-referral. "We think that physiotherapists are experts in a field where you can also have access to other experts, such as dentists, psychiatrists and others who work in primary healthcare," said the association president Gabriela Starc.
Through self-funding from 35 to 80 euros per hour
Bypassing the in-between bureaucracy would cut waiting times and would also lead to less patients having to seek self-funded services. Those able to pay on their own for physiotherapy services have to pay from 35 to 80 euros per hour. Those with injuries, or that have just come out of surgery, and who are unable to pay the price, have to wait for weeks or even months. The inpatient length of stay is among the shortest in Europe, however according to Starc there are also problems when the patient returns home. "In Slovenia there are no home visiting physiotherapists working as part of the health care centres. The situation is also poor at the retirement homes. We have a lot of private retirement homes in Slovenia. The norm is one physiotherapist per 150 occupants."