From October 11, 2020, the Serbian Business Registers Agency (“SBRA”) will start keeping the Register of Healthcare Institutions (“Register”) as a single record of healthcare service providers, in accordance with the Healthcare Act (“Act”).
The Register is a unified record of healthcare service providers, which includes data about healthcare institutions and private practices throughout the Republic of Serbia. Therefore, data about public and private healthcare institutions have been consolidated in the Register.
Before the introduction of the Register, healthcare institutions had to register with the competent commercial courts. Now, the Register, as an electronic, central, public database of registered healthcare institutions providing healthcare services based on a decision issued by the health and pharmaceutical inspector, this record has passed into the hands of the SBRA. In that respect, the SBRA has taken over the cases, archives and registry materials created by the competent commercial courts in maintaining the healthcare service provider registers.
The registration procedure is regulated by the SBRA Registration Procedure Act. Registration applications can be made in writing or electronically via the proper user application in accordance with regulations governing electronic signatures and electronic documents. Registrations can be done ex officio if such registration is provided for by law or when it is in the public interest.
In line with the foregoing, SBRA will ex officio transfer data about healthcare institutions from the register of commercial courts, showing the latest data recorded. Moreover, healthcare institutions are required to submit an application for registration of compliance in the Register, within three months from the date of completion of such transfer procedure. Healthcare institutions are also required to submit a copy of their new Articles of Association to the Register alongside the application for registration of compliance. Namely, in accordance with the Act, healthcare institutions, other legal persons and private practices are required to harmonize their acts, organization and business with the respective provisions of the Act. Upon completion of the harmonization procedure, SBRA will keep a unified record of healthcare service providers, which will consist of consolidated data on healthcare institutions and private practices throughout the Republic of Serbia. This all serves to facilitate the registration process for these essential services providers, while at the same time making access to the data from the Register easier and faster. The director of SBRA has said that the biggest goal for SBRA going forward is to register “all legal entities that can be registered in Serbia”.
Author: Žarko Popović
