The study “The Patient as an Equal Partner, Not Merely a Recipient of Services” provides an in-depth insight into how the Slovenian healthcare system can become more inclusive, transparent, and collaboration-oriented. The key message emerging from in-depth interviews with patient organisations is the urgent need to establish a genuine partnership between all stakeholders: patients and their organisations, healthcare professionals, policymakers, payers, researchers, and society at large. It also emphasises the importance of viewing healthcare as an investment in individuals, society, and the economy.

Download the document

Patient Organisations Association of Slovenia: A Call for a Change in Mindset

Štefanija L. Zlobec, President of the Slovenian Patient Organisations Association (ZOPS), highlights that the study is more than just an analysis—it is a call to change the way we relate to patients, to strengthen equality, and to understand healthcare as a shared project. The patient is no longer simply a user of services, but a co-creator of health policy and practice whose experiences significantly contribute to understanding people’s needs and improving the quality of care.

The findings of the study, also underlined by ZOPS, show that patients want more opportunities to participate in decision-making, better information, and greater transparency in how healthcare institutions operate. However, patient organisations often lack stable support, financial resources, and access to decision-making processes to make this possible. The study, therefore, proposes the establishment of a long-term support model that would enable them to become professionally equipped and equal partners. The study also emphasizes trust and transparency as fundamental conditions for developing a high-quality, safe healthcare system.

Healthcare as an Investment, Not a Cost

One of the key challenges raised by patient organisations is the prevailing perception of healthcare as a cost rather than an investment in people, the economy, and society. In contrast, the interviewees emphasise that healthcare must be recognised as a strategic investment and a key driver of a successful economy. Strong economies rely on a healthy population. This vision focuses on shifting from a reactive to a proactive approach to health, with an emphasis on prevention, early disease detection, and personalised treatment.

Patient organisations call for a shift in how healthcare is perceived – from a cost to a strategic investment at all levels of decision-making – and for strengthened cross-sector cooperation and partnerships among all key stakeholders. With joint efforts and coordinated action, patient organisations, state institutions, healthcare providers, and industry can transform Slovenian healthcare into an efficient, patient-friendly, and sustainable system that recognises health as the most important investment in the future.

Key Challenges and Recommendations

Interviews with eleven patient organisations uncovered four key themes and fifteen interrelated challenges. These challenges were further evaluated, including by an independent expert, and later presented and endorsed at a workshop co-organised by the Patient Organisations Association of Slovenia in November 2025. The most significant challenges – those whose resolution would have the greatest impact on strengthening the system – include:

• Insufficient cooperation among key stakeholders (policymakers, the Health Insurance Institute, patients, healthcare organisations, and industry), which hinders necessary reforms.
• Limited access to primary care.
• Lack of systemic funding for patient organisations.
• Patient organisations are often overlooked and included too little or too late in co-creating the healthcare system.
• Healthcare is perceived as a cost rather than an investment.

Addressing these challenges requires a collective approach and close cooperation among all stakeholders. Based on these findings, the document proposes a concrete cooperation plan that includes:

• Systematic and timely involvement of patient organisations in decision-making processes.
• Simplification of administrative procedures and reduction of bureaucratic obstacles.
• A shift in the perception of healthcare from a cost to a strategic investment.
• Investment in preventive programmes and public awareness.

Only through active inclusion of patients as equal partners and by recognising health as a strategic investment can we create a fair, responsive, and future-oriented healthcare system. The study, therefore, serves as an important professional and advocacy foundation for the future work of patient organisations and ZOPS in building a system rooted in respect, collaboration, and trust.