Perinski: Health Insurance Fund Uncovers More Than 3,000 Cases of Sick Leave Abuse

The Health Insurance Fund has identified more than 3,000 cases of suspected sick leave abuse.

During a briefing with journalists, Director Zllatko Perinski said the largest number of violations had been found among public-sector employees, particularly uniformed members of the army and police.

According to him, employees at the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Army of the Republic of North Macedonia have remained on sick leave for more than five years. However, the vast majority of abuse cases involve periods of one to three years and three to five years.

Perinski warned that the violations would be reported to the Public Prosecutor’s Office over unlawful financial gains. In addition to the patients, the family doctors and specialists responsible for issuing the medical reports will also be investigated.

The investigations will also include members of the Fund’s commissions who approved absences from work justified as resulting from various health problems.