A meeting with the presidents of chambers in the field of biomedicine and health was held at the Agency for Science and Higher Education on 25 February 2019.
The topic of the meeting were the challenges of recognition of foreign professional qualifications (acquired outside the European Union) required to exercise regulated professions in the field of biomedicine and health, in light of the announced amendments of the Act on Regulated Professions and the Recognition of Foreign Professional Qualifications.
The aim of the meeting was to further raise of awareness of competent state and public authorities and institutions regarding the problem of obtaining the right to exercise regulated professions in the field of biomedicine and health in Croatia, on the basis of foreign professional qualifications acquired in so-called third countries (outside the EU) and especially in countries in the region.
The event brought together representatives of the Croatian Medical Chamber, Croatian Chamber of Pharmacists, Croatian Dental Chamber, Croatian Nursing Council, Croatian Chamber of Midwives and Croatian Council of Physiotherapists, who expressed their satisfaction with the initiative and stressed the need for a constructive dialogue between professional associations and chambers, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Science and Education, Ministry of Labour and Pension System, Ministry of Finance, Rector’s Conference, Council of Polytechnics and Colleges, ASHE and other stakeholders, with the purpose of agreeing upon a common viewpoint and criteria for the recognition of professional qualifications required to exercise regulated professions in the field of biomedicine and health, considering the importance of this professions for the health and safety of Croatian citizens.
All participants of the meeting are aware of the need to further develop the system of recognition of foreign professional qualifications i.e. to make amendments to the current Act on Regulated Professions and the Recognition of Foreign Professional Qualifications, as planned in the following period. They also stressed the need to bring the issue of access to the labour market in the field of biomedicine and health i.e. the issue of verification of the content and quality of competences and knowledge acquired in third countries, to a higher level that includes all relevant ministries but also representatives of the education system and the academic community.