ZAGREB, Feb 27 (Hina) - At the beginning of the second week of its 20th sitting on Wednesday, the Croatian parliament considered a set of bills, including a bill on exemption from the payment of participation fees for hospital
treatment and specialist check-ups of citizens with low income. Along with children of the age of up to 18, pregnant women, mental patients and invalids with more than 80% disability, exemption from participation fees will also refer to insurees with income per family member lower than 1,330 kuna. The parliament also proposed a special base of 1,700 kuna for pensioners living alone, who would also be exempt from the payment of participation fees for medical services. The parliament discussed a proposal by the Social Democratic Party (SDP) on changes to the Law on Personal Identification Number that the current level of accessibility of citizens' personal data be adjusted to the constitutionally guaranteed conf
ZAGREB, Feb 27 (Hina) - At the beginning of the second week of its
20th sitting on Wednesday, the Croatian parliament considered a set
of bills, including a bill on exemption from the payment of
participation fees for hospital treatment and specialist check-ups
of citizens with low income.
Along with children of the age of up to 18, pregnant women, mental
patients and invalids with more than 80% disability, exemption from
participation fees will also refer to insurees with income per
family member lower than 1,330 kuna.
The parliament also proposed a special base of 1,700 kuna for
pensioners living alone, who would also be exempt from the payment
of participation fees for medical services.
The parliament discussed a proposal by the Social Democratic Party
(SDP) on changes to the Law on Personal Identification Number that
the current level of accessibility of citizens' personal data be
adjusted to the constitutionally guaranteed confidentiality of
personal information.
Due to the need for adjustment with relevant regulations in the
European Union, where citizens do not have personal identification
numbers, the SDP suggested that the personal identification number
be encrypted so that only special machines in competent services
could decode it.
The Social Liberals, however, objected that changing the system of
identification numbers would only incur additional costs for the
citizens and state.
The MPs today agreed on separating the Transmitters and
Communications department from Croatian Radio-Television (HRT)
but requested in the debate that the deadline for separating
Croatian Radio from Croatian Television be extended, the deadline
set by the Law on HRT being June 30.
The parliament adopted changes to the Law on the Pension Insurance
Rights of Active Military Personnel and Authorised Officials,
which should facilitate the process of reduction of the armed
forces.
The adopted changes will enable the defence minister to send into
retirement 10,500 active military personnel in the next ten years,
on the average 1,000 members annually.
The changes also include a regulation on the progressive reduction
of "military" pensions from eight to 20 percent, as was done with
so-called privileged pensions last autumn.
Despite disapproval from among opposition ranks, the agenda of the
session was extended to include bills on the privatisation of the
oil industry INA and the power industry HEP, which are to be
discussed tomorrow.
(hina) sb rml ,